The Highgate Vampire
The Highgate Vampire is primarily a two-person show, led by James Demaine as Daniel Farringdon and Alexander Knott as Patrick Sheffield. They are joined by Zoe Grain as Audrey, the technical operator. Given the nature of the role, Grain is largely limited to brief interjections, though she does step onstage for a short musical moment involving a shaker. While minimal, her presence becomes part of a recurring comic device within the show.
Performed in the round, with the audience seated on all sides, the staging immediately evokes the feel of an old-fashioned lecture, which is precisely how the play begins. The stage itself is sparse: a chair, a wooden box, and a Walkman are the only visible props. It is worth noting that the play appears to be inspired by real events, though prior knowledge is not required; the audience would lose little by not knowing the historical background.
Sheffield welcomes the audience as he enters the theatre, establishing an informal relationship early on. This interaction continues throughout the performance, with audience members occasionally asked to hold candles, and moments where cast members run up the stairs into the auditorium. These touches are effective in breaking the fourth wall and maintaining engagement.
Offstage voices are used throughout, and while not ground-breaking, they are effective and reminiscent of similar techniques in other productions. Demaine enters as Daniel Farringdon wearing what can only be described as a Johnny Depp-esque outfit: long beaded necklace, unbuttoned shirt, and a general air of theatrical swagger. His accent was difficult to place; there was something vaguely northern about it rather than London-based, but this did not seem especially important to the character. Farringdon is clearly positioned as the bolder presence, the “actor” of the duo.
In fact, the show takes several cues from The Woman in Black. We again have a lecture format disrupted by a character keen to make things more theatrical, and a self-aware, meta-theatrical play-within-a-play structure. I even thought there might have been a direct quote at one point, though I may be mistaken.
The use of scripts at the beginning is understandable given the theme and context, and initially works well. However, it would have been more effective had they been dropped sooner, or at least only glanced at rather than actively read from. One repeated comic moment involves a red light and an organ drone signalling supernatural horror, immediately undercut by the characters thanking Zoe Grain as Audrey, the technical operator. This tension-breaking device works at first, but is arguably overused.
When playing multiple roles, both actors commit physically, but do comparatively little vocally, aside from one Cornish accent, to differentiate characters convincingly. For a short show, it felt as though it dragged. I did not feel particularly invested in the characters, nor especially compelled by the story. My main curiosity was simply how it would end, and unfortunately that ending left me slightly dissatisfied.
The concept itself is amusing, but I felt the writers perhaps believed it was funnier than it actually was. There are moments of light titters, but overall it had the feel of a student production, with a sense that some punchlines may have been personal in-jokes. A few added moments of genuine suspense would have helped elevate it beyond straightforward storytelling. That said, there is a dance break, which is always entertaining.
Technically, with very little to work with, the use of flashlights was remarkable. They were dimmed so as not to blind the audience - something more productions would do well to note.
Spoiler alert: the ending could be improved. A scream, blackout, and a cast member reappearing covered in blood felt predictable. Given the repeated references to glowing red eyes throughout the play, revealing two glowing eyes in the blackout would have been far more effective, and far more unsettling.
This show was reviewed on 29th January 2026 at The Cockpit Theatre, London where it runs until the 1st February 2026. Tickets available here: The Highgate Vampire | The Cockpit
Review written by Valentine Gale-Sides
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Photo credit: Charlie Flint
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