Review: THE HAUNTING OF SUSAN A, King’s Head Theatre

Photo credit: Rah Petherbridge

They say that a building can hold memories and emotions and in the case of The Haunting of Susan A, the King’s Head Theatre in Islington appears to be doing just that.

Written by the theatre’s Artistic Director Mark Ravenhill, who also performs the piece alongside Suzanne Ahmet, this is not a tale for the easily frightened. They are both completely faultless in their telling of this tale from start to finish and the performance space is suitably intimate.

Right from the beginning, this story has the audience captivated and intrigued.  The atmosphere is stifling as the story unfolds. We are asked to imagine how the building that we are sat in may have appeared in the 1500’s when it was first built and opened as a tavern.  

What might have once taken place in this back room, that is currently the theatre space? What is it that still lingers in the shadows now? And what does it want?

Told as a classic ghost story, the audience want to know what this entity wants just as much as the actor telling her story. It doesn’t feel out of place to quickly glance over your shoulder to see if anyone is there.

The storytelling is sublime! The audience is grasped within it wholeheartedly and we’re not leaving until we find out what happens. The lighting (designed by Jo Underwood) either comes up sharply or expels itself completely and the faint whispering we occasionally hear (sound by Roly Botha) only adds to how transfixed the room is.

It’s a traditional yet modern genre, a simple idea, an even simpler backdrop, yet an incredibly entertaining evening.

If you wondered how ghost stories should appear on stage, this is how you do it!

Gripping, mesmerizing and guaranteed to give you goosebumps!

***** Five stars

Reviewed by: Rachel Louise Martin

The Haunting of Susan A is at the King’s Head Theatre, Islington until 26 June, with tickets available here.