Based on the short story by Charles Dickens, The Hanged Man’s Bride combines a struggling writer, a true-life crime, and a visit to a haunted inn. As darkness descends upon the sleeping author, a ghostly tale is played out to him. Is he dreaming? Confused in the state between sleeping and awake? Or is he simply caught in a guilty man’s confession?

This one-man performance, by James Nicholas, is certainly a chilling tale. Told with the psychological horror of a true Victorian or Dickens style ghost story.

The protagonist and storyteller is himself an author, there are references to his wife Catherine and their 10 children, and his mistress Ellen whom he wishes to marry despite their considerable age gap.  It’s not entirely clear if this is supposed to be Dickens himself or just a very similar character, either way it draws the audience in nicely and clearly establishes the genre and era.

It is a very wordy piece. There is a lot of information being given, not only for the facts of the story being told, but also to establish a description of the surroundings of the story taking place. As it is a one-man piece, you do need to concentrate to follow what is going on, but once the focus is there, it is easy to follow.

Overall, it’s a compelling story, a passionate tale of deceit and greed with plenty of spine-chilling moments.

Tantalisingly creepy!

The Hanged Man's Bride is part of Birmingham Fest which runs across Birmingham until July 28th. More details can be found here: http://birminghamfest.co.uk/events/

Review written by Rachel Louise Martin

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