Simon Ward reviews Ghost Stories For Christmas at the Old Red Lion Theatre

Writer and performer Matthew Wood founded Edwyrdian Tales as a response to lockdown in 2020, to provide an online version of the show that he had been bringing to heritage sites such as the Tower of London and Whitby Abbey. Now back on stage, he is again bringing the classic tradition of ghost stories at Christmas to suitably spooky venues around the country. At over 6oo years old, the Old Red Lion must surely harbour its fair share of spectres and ghouls. It is certainly not hard to imagine something eerie lurking in its gloomier recesses. Dressed in suitably Edwardian attire of tailcoat and bright red embroidered waistcoat, our storyteller sits patiently whittling while the room fills up, a table duly laden with skull, guttering candles and a gleaming decanter by his side. On one wall, a light projection will have to suffice as our Christmas tree – there are clearly limits to the set dressing for a travelling show mainly consisting of one-night stops.

Wood begins by sketching in some of the folkloric traditions surrounding the tree – beyond the well-known story of Prince Albert back through time to ancient tales of tree-worship. The evergreen tree, of course, was a reminder and a promise of the green spring to follow the cold, dead winter months. Whereupon he launches into the first story, ‘Lucky’s Grove’, about the dangers of failing to respect the ancient wisdom or ancient woods. Choosing the wrong tree to cut down to adorn the ballroom has catastrophic consequences. Aided by skilfully deployed sound effects Wood is a master at delivering the killer lines to maximum effect. He plays all the parts with aplomb but allows the nerve-jangling effect of the story itself to work its magic without excessive embellishment. There was a slightly jarring moment for me with a mention of Disney-themed decorations on the tree – it makes sense when you realise that the story is probably set roughly in the mid-1930s, that period between the wars when there were still large houses with servants but when Walt Disney was already in vogue.

‘The Wendigo’ is an even stranger story set in Canada and again proving the hubristic danger of assuming that modernity has no need for the knowledge gleaned over millennia by the first dwellers in that land. The tale written by Wood himself, ‘The Elder Son’, is a creepily heart-breaking affair involving marionettes and tragically misguided children.

There are some jump scares here, and the age recommendation is 10 years plus, but Wood’s primary skill is in evoking a ghostly atmosphere which seems to chill the very air in the room. This worked very well in the Old Red Lion, and will perhaps be still more effective in some of the more atmospheric venues on the tour.

Ghost Stories For Christmas played at the Old Red Lion Theatre, 418 John St, London EC1V 4NJ on Monday 9th November before touring around the UK until Saturday 21st December. Details can be found at https://www.edwyrdiantales.com/tourdates