The Storyteller: Ghosts of the stage in haunted theatres

The other weekend, Sarah, my partner, and I, headed to London to celebrate her birthday. As usual, when in the capital, we took in a few shows, and this time we managed three, one on each day of our stay. Coming from an acting background, I like to see some plays, not just musicals, which the West End is best known for, and are also Sarah’s preferences, so on this occasion we compromised with two plays and a musical.

On the evening of our arrival, we headed to the National Theatre, on the South Bank, for the penultimate night of Oscar Wilde’s, The Importance of Being Earnest. This production starred Ncuti Gatwa, who is the current possessor of the keys to the Tardis, and being the huge Dr Who fan that I am, this made it a must see. We booked the tickets last August, and it’s just as well we did as it was sold out. It was worth the wait, as this updated production of such a witty farce was excellent. We both thoroughly enjoyed it, with Sarah even going as far as saying it was one of the best bits of theatre she has ever seen, to date...brownie points for me!

With the intention of trying to meet Ncuti at the stage door already, I was pleasantly surprised to discover, in the programme, that the majority of the cast were Dr Who alumni, so we ventured out after the show to see how many autographs we could procure. We managed a few, including Julian Bleach, who played a version of Davros, the warped creator of the Daleks, opposite David Tennant’s and Peter Capaldi’s interpretations of the good Doctor. Unfortunately, Ncuti was a no show whilst we waited...

On the second day, after spending the afternoon on an opened top Toot Bus tour of the sights, sounds and smells of the city, which was a bit nippy but sunny initially, we headed to Trafalgar Theatre, just off Trafalgar Square, to watch Tracy-Ann Oberman playing the first ever female version of Shylock, in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. This production had been updated to a1930s East End setting, highlighting the persecution of the Jews by the fascist Black Shirts. Our viewing was very timely, not only was it the last night of the run, but it was just before Holocaust Memorial Day. It was obviously very personal to Tracy-Ann, as, at the end of the adaptation, she comes out of character to dedicate her performance to her great grandmother, who actually did stand up to the fascist movement back in the 30s, refusing to be pushed out of her home. This made for a very moving, and poignant end to the evening.

Above: The Merchant of Venice at the Trafalgar Theatre 

On the Sunday, Sarah’s actual birthday, we plumped for something a bit more light-hearted, the high school musical, based on the film of the same name, Mean Girls, which proved highly entertaining. We saw the Sunday matinee, which gave us plenty of time for a special meal to celebrate the occasion afterwards. This production was playing at the Savoy Theatre, which, as you approach the venue, looks like you are entering the hotel itself. This proximity to the hotel, is because the original owner of the site was such a huge lover of theatre, that they had their own venue built alongside their property to attract productions, initially Gilbert and Sullivan operas, but their tastes broadened over the years.

However, the actual inspiration for this article, came from our visit to the Trafalgar Theatre, when, during the performance, Sarah, who is one of the sensitives I take with me on my paranormal investigations, claimed to see dark figures rising up from their seats and exiting the auditorium, she was adamant they weren’t members of the audience as their attire didn’t appear modern. On the back of this, I did a little bit of online digging, but failed to find any records of the Savoy Theatre being haunted. On this occasion, I wondered if the subject matter of the production was such that it attracted members of Tracy-Ann’s family to come close to her in spirit, to show their support for her endeavours to share their story with a wider audience. Even though she also has links to my favourite programme, I didn’t feel right pursuing her after she had given her all in such a personal performance, so we went home.

My search online, however, wasn’t in vain, as it uncovered some other accounts of allegedly haunted London theatres...

The most famous haunting occurs at the oldest venue, over 350 years old, and that is the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, where the Man in Grey has been seen, on many occasions, by many people, often in daylight, walking across the Upper Circle and disappearing through a wall. No one knows who he is, but during renovation work carried out in the 1870s, builders broke through the wall he appears to pass through, and found a skeleton wrapped in grey cloth, which appeared to have been stabbed to death. These numerous sightings are always said to herald the success of the current production.

Another venue, whose mention caught my eye, was the Duke of York’s Theatre, which Sarah and I visited on our London excursion last year, to see a modernised version of the play An Enemy of the People, starring Matt Smith...did I mention I was a Dr Who fan? On this occasion, Sarah didn’t sense any spooky activity, nor did Matt make an appearance at the stage door, in between shows, as the drama left him covered in gunk that he had to shower off before the evening performance, but a member of security was sent to inform us that he would be a no show. The reported activity there, includes sightings of an old manager, mingling with first night audiences, and, bizarrely, a bolero style jacket that, allegedly, tried to strangle any actress who attempted to put it on...you couldn’t make it up!

Above: Matt Smith at The Duke of York's Theatre

Also last year, we saw a production of The Enfield Poltergeist, a play starring Catherine Tate...yes, Donna Noble from Dr Who. Whilst lots of pretend paranormal activity was happening onstage, we had a flip up seat, a few along from us in our row, that went down, all by itself, but didn’t go up again...

Moving closer to home, I thought I would include what I know about hauntings in the Torbay theatres, including sightings of the Lavender Lady at the Palace Avenue in Paignton, who, sadly, failed to show herself during the Summer Season I spent there, back in 1987. Also the reports I’ve been told, by members of the cinema staff, that replaced the old Festival Theatre, where I also worked in the late 80s. They claimed to have seen an old lady, sitting on the front row of one of the screens, who is nowhere to be seen once the film has finished, and the audience is filing out. I’ve actually investigated similar sightings at the, now closed, ABC cinema in Plymouth, where a member of the audience seemingly disappears too.

I must mention my old place of employment, at the Princess Theatre, where I spent many happy years, working in, and managing the box office. Just before Covid struck, after many years of asking, I was allowed to lead a ghost walk, around the venue, following a production of The Woman in Black. About 20 people joined me, to hear me reveal the findings of my team, after we were allowed access prior to the event, to see who they felt was still present. The celebrities that we picked up on, included Danny La Rue, Dick Emery and even Lena Zavaroni, all of whom have appeared at the Princess over the years, but my team wouldn’t have been aware of that. Even though I no longer work there, I would love to host similar events in the future.

Finally, how could I possibly leave out the Brixham Theatre, that will feature in my Ghost Walk, around the town, in a few weeks’ time...

Upon our return from an enjoyable time in London, I was greeted with the very sad news that my father, Lionel Phillips, had passed away, at the ripe old age of 95, following a deterioration of his health over the past few months. Having spent Christmas and New Year in and out of hospital, he is finally at rest. I plan on paying a tribute to him in my next article, particularly as a few odd things have happened to myself, and members of my family, around the time of his passing...love you Dad...you will be much missed!