Bristol Tobacco Factory Theatre Review: A Warning to the Curious

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Chloe Banks reviews A Warning to the Curious at the Tobacco Factory Theatre

I love a good ghost story. You can keep your slasher movies and alien films, just give me a good old-fashioned spine-tingler. I have been indulging my taste for the macabre of late, with The Woman in Black and The Turn of the Screw, so I thought I would continue the trend by heading to the Brewery Theatre at the Tobacco Factory to see one part of the Nunkie Theatre Company's presentation of the M.R. James trilogy.

Arming myself with a friend, I elected to see the main part of the trilogy, A Warning to the Curious. We didn't get off to the best start. Having been told to turn up at the Tobacco Factory at 8pm to collect the tickets before wandering down the road to the Brewery Theatre we did so, only to find the place deserted. Arriving ticketless therefore, we explained our predicament and were told that the performance had actually started at 7:30pm. Brushing over this little inconvenience we were ushered in during the interval to watch the second of the two ghost stories.

The second half was story-telling at its purest. No special effects, dramatic music or even much of a set; just one man (Robert Lloyd Parry), telling a story by candle-light. The tiny studio was a perfect theatre setting for such tales of the supernatural and Mr. Parry certainly told it well. His voice was the perfect mix of bumbling English gentleman and sinister story-teller. If I was feeling in a critical mood I might say that the incredible speed with which he delivered the tale, no doubt to add a sense of urgency to the proceedings, seemed rather relentless. I should have liked more variation in pace, if for no other reason than to have time to process what had already been said. However, once I had acclimatised to the style, it proved to be a compelling tale.

The story itself was a classic early-20^th century tale of the supernatural, in the style of  earlier writers such as Henry James or Edgar Allen Poe. It had all the traditional elements, from unknown terrors to inexplicable deaths, and perhaps this is why it really wasn't all that scary. To give credit to M.R. James, it was an original piece despite the predictable themes, but I think I would have been more scared reading it under the covers at night than listening to someone else tell the tale. I hate to think I am a product of the “special-effects generation” but in the setting of a studio theatre I found it hard to let myself be frightened when there was no threat of a ghost lurking at the side of the stage or at least some minor chords played at intervals to keep me on my toes. Perhaps if I had gone with the expectation of a story-telling, rather than expecting a play, it would have been a different matter. And that's how I would recommend it to others: go along to the Brewery Theatre and enjoy a master weaver-of-tales at work but don't expect to be terrified, just entertained.

With the greatest respect to Mr. Parry, who really is a fine actor and born story-teller, I think A Warning to the Curious has made me more inclined to read the stories of M.R. James rather than watch them being told, but there was something about the simplicity of the style that did hold an appeal. If you have a night free and like to experience your entertainment in a more tangible form than from the other side of the television screen, then I would definitely suggest you give the Brewery Theatre and Nunkie Theatre Company a go.

The M.R. James Trilogy runs at the Brewery Theatre until the 8^th February (excluding Mondays and Tuesdays). A Warning to the Curious plays every night, the other two parts, 'A Pleasing Terror' and 'Oh, Whistle...', play on selected days only. See tobaccofactorytheatre.com for details.

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