Tuesday 29th September 2026 at the Grand Theatre and Opera House
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Paranormal Activity first hit the stage in 2024, inspired by the film of the same name – I was impressed then and I was impressed all over again last night, seeing it with a new cast and a few revisions. As far as thrill-seeking spooky shows go, this one deserves some real longevity and a place beside 2:22 and Ghost Stories as top new talent on the gothic scene (move over, Woman in Black…).
The story follows loved-up couple James (James Bye) and Lou (Hannah Sinclair Robinson) who have just moved to London from Chicago, escaping from challenges that gradually come to light in this new home. The pair are thoroughly engaging and Levi Holloway’s script does well to merge the comfortable everyday with the unnerving happenings punctuating the daily lives of the pair. It does feel like it takes a while to get into thrilling territory, but the build-up is enjoyable, with dialogue that is funny, endearing, ominous and impressively credible. Both Bye and Robinson skilfully handle the shifting versions of their characters, developing steadily as tensions within the relationship move towards critical revelations as the plot unfolds – and the chemistry between the pair is spot on.
The story is almost a two-hander in its intensive focus on the couple, but there are key marginal characters to appreciate too: Jo Castleton as the spiritualist packing a few surprises of her own, and Caroline Faber as James’ perky mama, Carolanne. Faber, like the central pair, manages some crucial, tricky shifts within the narrative with skill, channeling that ever-revolving sense of normality vying with the uncanny.
Felix Barrett directs, and does a great job of merging these worlds of credible realism and the eerie extraordinary – and Barrett fully leans into the power of anticipation, leaving audiences to sit with darkness and intense sound design (Gareth Fry), building up tension in crisp, well-defined layers. Set design from Fly Davis is also atmospheric and pivotal, offering an impressive, two tiered visual of the couple’s house, functioning not only to conjure the crowded cosiness of the new house, but also offering opportunities for anticipating strange happenings at any time in any corner of the spaces that are constantly visible; it’s funny how quickly the mind strays from the foregrounded chat downstairs in the kitchen to whatever that glint of something might have been upstairs in the darkened bathroom…
The show is also, thankfully, impressive in its illusions by Christmas Fisher, offering genuine surprises and clever trickeries that inspire audible gasps and reactions from audiences well-primed for the drama of it all. It’s incredibly difficult to deliver on spine-tingling elements on stage, but this production offers some impactful stagecraft that never falls into the trap of awkward or cringe-worthy overblown moments; it all lands, and it all comes together smoothly to deliver genuine thrills for eager audiences.
Paranormal Activity is definitely one to catch if you like your theatre thrilling!
Paranormal Activity is at the Grand Theatre and Opera House, York until October 3rd 2026 – more information and tickets can’t be found here.
Leave a comment