As the lights flicker and anticipation fills the air, The Enfield Haunting aims to take the audience beyond the typical ghost story. Paul Unwin's latest play, inspired by the true events of 1977, seeks to unfold a supernatural encounter alongside an exploration of a mother's strength in protecting her children against all odds. However, the play struggles to maintain a clear intention, leaving the audience with a somewhat disjointed experience.

Set within a replica of the Enfield house, the two-story structure immerses the audience in the world of Peggy Hodgson (Catherine Tate), a single mother determined to shield her three children from the unknown. Maurice Grosse (David Threlfall), a ghost hunter trying to help the family, ends up entangled in his own narrative from the past. The hauntingly detailed set, designed by Lee Newby, serves as a backdrop to the everyday struggles of an ordinary, working-class family thrust into the centre of one of the world's most famous poltergeist events.

While Tate's portrayal of Peggy Hodgson attempts to transcend the typical ghost story protagonist, grappling not only with the paranormal but also with tangible threats, such as intruders, a suggested abusive father, and her mischievous teenage daughters, the performance falls rather flat with the one-tone portrayal. We yearn for a more dynamic exploration of Peggy's journey. Threlfall brings depth to the character, and the younger daughter Janet (Ella Schrey-Yeats) ’s controlled and haunting physicality adds to the performance. The older sister Margaret (Grace Molony) introduces an energetic teenage touch to the story and hints at potential sexual connotations that don't lead anywhere other than a quick, nonchalant accusation toward the neighbour Rey (Mo Sesay), another uninvited guest in the house who thinks he knows better.

Paul Unwin's personal encounter with Guy Lyton Playfair, one of the investigators of the paranormal, is surely fascinating. The ambitious attempt to interweave personal struggles with the supernatural is a brilliant idea, but the lack of clear character development muddles the plot, leaving the audience grappling with an unclear tone—oscillating between humour and jump scares without a defined intention.

The play's commendable touch of contrasting social classes is overshadowed by the overarching narrative's ambition, resulting in a loss of direction. The use of a voice recorder is a wonderful device to create suspense and captivate the audience's attention and imagination. Unfortunately, once the presence of physical ghost figures takes place on stage, it breaks the illusion, hindering overall immersion.

Directed by seasoned director Angus Jackson, the team delivers committed performances. Yet, in a 75-minute play with so many knots that are not properly tied, The Enfield Haunting sacrifices clarity, leaving the audience with an intriguing but perplexing blend of confusion. Perhaps the fascination with the famous true event creates too much anticipation that the play, unfortunately, fails to fulfil.

** Two stars

Reviewed by: Dan Hsu

The Enfield Haunting plays at London’s Ambassadors Theatre until 2 March, with tickets available here.