Fringe review: THE GHOST OF A SMILE, Gavin Robertson/Nicholas Collett - Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Two of Charles Dickens' creepy tales - with a comic twist. Told on alternate days. Two yarns to chill and charm: a traveller encounters a ghostly chair and, in a deserted Edinburgh carriage works, a tipsy reveller is spirited away. Like The Woman in Black - but funnier, with fewer people!  

Adapted and directed by Gavin Robertson and performed by Nicholas Collett, The Ghost of a Smile is the traditional ghost story with a difference, it won't give you nightmares! 

Collett's storytelling is captivating as he plays out elements of the story as he tells it. The addition of a lantern or a cane filling in the small gaps of our imaginations; maintaining the descriptive context of the stories rather than the special effects we have become accustomed to in films.

Whilst the atmosphere of the unknown is captured, it's a fun, relaxed way to experience the spooky tales and is suitable for all ages to enjoy.

*** Three stars  

Reviewed by: Rachel Louise Martin

The Ghost of a Smile plays in the Stephenson Theatre at theSpace @ Surgeons Hall at 1.05pm until 26 August.