REVIEW
✭✭✭☆☆3/5
✭✭✭☆☆3/5
WHEN DARKNESS FALLS
A ghost story by James Milton and Paul Morrissey
3 – 8 October Palace Theatre, Southend
A ghost story by James Milton and Paul Morrissey
3 – 8 October Palace Theatre, Southend
It is a cold, dark, stormy night at the Palace Theatre, and if you are a fan of ghostly goings on and things that go bump in the night, When Darkness Falls, is the play for you. There are lots of unexplained noises, and thunderous crashes, making everyone jump in their seat. Lights go on and off, furniture moves of its own accord and there is the very effective use of the ring tone on a mobile phone.
The play stars the once familiar TV presenter, Peter Duncan, known mainly for Blue Peter, who is also an Olivier nominated actor. He’s aided by Daniel Rainford as the Speaker, who grips us with his stories of suicides and black dogs foretelling death and destruction.
The play takes place in Guernsey and, is apparently inspired by true events. An historian John Blondel (Peter Duncan) invites a psychic paranormal researcher to talk about folklore and apparitions in Guernsey, for a podcast. He wants evidence of the existence of ghosts, as he is an unbeliever. He dismisses the documented events as figments of people’s imaginations, or hallucinations caused by medical conditions such as Alzheimer’s or the use of drugs. However, as the Speaker relates his stories there are some surprising results with an unexpected twist at the end.
As the stories unfold and become more and more complicated, the disbeliever becomes unsettled, and nervously observes strange happening around him. He also appears to morph into the characters that we are being told about, although there is no explanation for this.
Although, only a two hander, the actors hold our attention throughout. However, it is a very wordy play with some of the narrated stories being virtually monologues. One of the flaws is the stories do not relate to each other, and so become a series of spooky tales that the Speaker is relaying from the past.
Full marks must go to the Palace Technical team, as there are some very clever sound and lighting effects. Nobody sleeps through this production and by the end the audience are looking around nervously.
All in all, it is an interesting and thought provoking play. There are philosophical debates about whether we are inherently evil or governed by spiritual revenge for past wrongs through succeeding generations.
Reviewer: Jacquee Storozynski-Toll
The play stars the once familiar TV presenter, Peter Duncan, known mainly for Blue Peter, who is also an Olivier nominated actor. He’s aided by Daniel Rainford as the Speaker, who grips us with his stories of suicides and black dogs foretelling death and destruction.
The play takes place in Guernsey and, is apparently inspired by true events. An historian John Blondel (Peter Duncan) invites a psychic paranormal researcher to talk about folklore and apparitions in Guernsey, for a podcast. He wants evidence of the existence of ghosts, as he is an unbeliever. He dismisses the documented events as figments of people’s imaginations, or hallucinations caused by medical conditions such as Alzheimer’s or the use of drugs. However, as the Speaker relates his stories there are some surprising results with an unexpected twist at the end.
As the stories unfold and become more and more complicated, the disbeliever becomes unsettled, and nervously observes strange happening around him. He also appears to morph into the characters that we are being told about, although there is no explanation for this.
Although, only a two hander, the actors hold our attention throughout. However, it is a very wordy play with some of the narrated stories being virtually monologues. One of the flaws is the stories do not relate to each other, and so become a series of spooky tales that the Speaker is relaying from the past.
Full marks must go to the Palace Technical team, as there are some very clever sound and lighting effects. Nobody sleeps through this production and by the end the audience are looking around nervously.
All in all, it is an interesting and thought provoking play. There are philosophical debates about whether we are inherently evil or governed by spiritual revenge for past wrongs through succeeding generations.
Reviewer: Jacquee Storozynski-Toll
Peter Duncan will star as John Blondel and Daniel Rainford as The Speaker in the spine-chilling ghost story, WHEN DARKNESS FALLS. Following a successful season at Park Theatre in London last summer and a short tour, there will now be a full UK Tour, opening on 15 September at the Grand Theatre, Blackpool. The Tour currently runs through to 29 October 2022, with more dates to be announced for 2023. Written by James Milton and Paul Morrissey, the production will be directed by Paul Morrissey.
On a stormy night on the small island of Guernsey, a young paranormal expert joins a sceptical history teacher to record the first in a series of podcasts based on the island’s incredible folklore and paranormal history. As the expert regales his horrifying stories, the teacher learns that we all have our own truth, our own story. Ghosts that haunt us; that bring the past, present and future together in unexpected ways; ways that can threaten to unsettle everything we think we know.
Inspired by true events, this powerful new production by James Milton and Paul Morrissey draws us into dark pasts, reveals disturbing truths and explores the power of stories. Perhaps most importantly, the ones we tell ourselves.
Actor, film and documentary maker, former Chief Scout and 1980s Blue Peter man, Peter Duncan has a theatre, TV and film career that spans five decades. Peter began his career on stage, joining Laurence Olivier’s National Theatre. He became a household name when he joined Blue Peter in 1980. After TV presenting, he began to appear in musical theatre roles such as Barnum, Bill Snibson in Me And My Girl, Charlie Chaplin in The Little Tramp and Denry Machin in The Card, for which he was nominated for an Olivier Award as Best Actor in a Musical. More recently, he appeared as Wilbur Turnblad in the UK Tour of Hairspray.
Daniel Rainford recently completed a UK tour of Michael Morpurgo’s Private Peaceful, in which he played the lead role, Tommo - a role he also played in its original run at the Nottingham Playhouse. His other stage credits include Once Upon a Time in Nazi Occupied Tunisia at London’s Almeida Theatre. His screen credits include this year’s The Batman starring Robert Pattinson and Zoe Kravitz. Rhys Jennings will be the understudy for both roles.
The show's illusions are designed by John Bulleid, an Associate of the Inner Magic Circle with Silver Star, whose other theatre credits include The Ocean At The End Of The Lane (The National Theatre - associate to Jamie Harrison), Harry Potter and The Cursed Child (Palace Theatre, London - current Magic & Illusion assistant) and The Prince of Egypt (Dominion Theatre, London - associate to Chris Fisher).
Writers Paul Morrissey and James Milton have worked together for the past 15 years. James is currently Head of Content for the new Holocaust Galleries at Imperial War Museum. His first book, The Holocaust, was published in 2021. Paul has written several other plays including Bingo, The Wickies and Alcatraz.
WHEN DARKNESS FALLS is directed by Paul Morrissey and designed by Justin Williams, with lighting by Bethany Gupwell and sound by Daniel Higgott.
The UK Tour of WHEN DARKNESS FALLS is produced by Paul Morrissey Ltd, Christopher Wheeler and Molly Morris in association with Dawn Smalberg, Bev Ragovoy, Jason Haigh-Ellery, Max Needle and Glynis Henderson Productions.
Website: www.whendarknessfalls.co.uk
On a stormy night on the small island of Guernsey, a young paranormal expert joins a sceptical history teacher to record the first in a series of podcasts based on the island’s incredible folklore and paranormal history. As the expert regales his horrifying stories, the teacher learns that we all have our own truth, our own story. Ghosts that haunt us; that bring the past, present and future together in unexpected ways; ways that can threaten to unsettle everything we think we know.
Inspired by true events, this powerful new production by James Milton and Paul Morrissey draws us into dark pasts, reveals disturbing truths and explores the power of stories. Perhaps most importantly, the ones we tell ourselves.
Actor, film and documentary maker, former Chief Scout and 1980s Blue Peter man, Peter Duncan has a theatre, TV and film career that spans five decades. Peter began his career on stage, joining Laurence Olivier’s National Theatre. He became a household name when he joined Blue Peter in 1980. After TV presenting, he began to appear in musical theatre roles such as Barnum, Bill Snibson in Me And My Girl, Charlie Chaplin in The Little Tramp and Denry Machin in The Card, for which he was nominated for an Olivier Award as Best Actor in a Musical. More recently, he appeared as Wilbur Turnblad in the UK Tour of Hairspray.
Daniel Rainford recently completed a UK tour of Michael Morpurgo’s Private Peaceful, in which he played the lead role, Tommo - a role he also played in its original run at the Nottingham Playhouse. His other stage credits include Once Upon a Time in Nazi Occupied Tunisia at London’s Almeida Theatre. His screen credits include this year’s The Batman starring Robert Pattinson and Zoe Kravitz. Rhys Jennings will be the understudy for both roles.
The show's illusions are designed by John Bulleid, an Associate of the Inner Magic Circle with Silver Star, whose other theatre credits include The Ocean At The End Of The Lane (The National Theatre - associate to Jamie Harrison), Harry Potter and The Cursed Child (Palace Theatre, London - current Magic & Illusion assistant) and The Prince of Egypt (Dominion Theatre, London - associate to Chris Fisher).
Writers Paul Morrissey and James Milton have worked together for the past 15 years. James is currently Head of Content for the new Holocaust Galleries at Imperial War Museum. His first book, The Holocaust, was published in 2021. Paul has written several other plays including Bingo, The Wickies and Alcatraz.
WHEN DARKNESS FALLS is directed by Paul Morrissey and designed by Justin Williams, with lighting by Bethany Gupwell and sound by Daniel Higgott.
The UK Tour of WHEN DARKNESS FALLS is produced by Paul Morrissey Ltd, Christopher Wheeler and Molly Morris in association with Dawn Smalberg, Bev Ragovoy, Jason Haigh-Ellery, Max Needle and Glynis Henderson Productions.
Website: www.whendarknessfalls.co.uk
WHEN DARKNESS FALLS is proudly partnered with Unexplained Podcast and Richard McClean Smith will be appearing at selected venues where audiences can expect an exclusive live episode of Unexplained as part of the show/ticket price. Dates to be confirmed.
Unexplained is a haunting story-based podcast in which host and creator Richard MacLean Smith explores a different unexplained mystery each week - often to terrifying effect. With each episode, MacLean Smith leads the listener on an atmospheric journey through the strange and eerie, taking in everything from bizarre tales of supposed time-slips, vanishings and UFOs to chilling unexplained deaths and dabblings in the occult.
Best of iTunes 2016 and one of the most popular paranormal podcasts in the world, Unexplained has been an international success reaching number 2 in the US, UK and Canadian Apple Podcast charts with over 50 million streams to date. www.unexplainedpodcast.com
3 – 8 October Palace Theatre, Southend 0343 310 0030
palacetheatresouthend.co.uk on sale
11 – 15 October New Theatre, Cardiff 0343 310 0041
www.newtheatrecardiff.co.uk on sale
25 – 29 October Oldham Coliseum 0161 624 2829
www.coliseum.org.uk on sale
31 October – 5 November Beau Sejour Theatre, Guernsey 01481 223200
beausejour.gg/ on sale soon
Further dates to be added