26th April 2025
Murder on the Airwaves
Three Towns Theatre Company, Upchurch Village Hall
The Haunting of Hill House
Author: Gordon Harris
Information
- Date
- 27th November 2019
- Society
- Edenbridge Players Amateur Dramatic Society
- Venue
- Edenbridge WWI Hall
- Type of Production
- Play
- Director
- Caroline Newman
The haunted house has always been the stuff of nightmares. There’s nothing more compelling than a creaky old house. With its adaptation of The Haunting of Hill House, Edenbridge has certainly tapped into the human fascination with things that go bump in the night!
Take four strangers a cynic, a neurotic, an eccentric and a socialite all these characterisations came over well. Throw them into a haunted house and sit back and watch the fireworks. Nothing quite matches the thrill of watching others tormented—especially from the confines of a theatre seat. Based on Shirley Jackson’s novel of the same name, Edenbridge has pulled out all the stops for this.
Invited to stay at Hill House at the request of the Dr Montague(Martin Beaman) in the interests of his paranormal investigation, guests arrive for a night they will never forget. Hill House is more than just a house It lives, it breathes… Central to the drama is the character of Eleanor: a troubled lady, Julia Bennett plays this very complex challenging role with an intriguing blend of fragility. A strong supporting cast played their roles with vigour, Mrs Dudley (Ulli Lukas) a strong dominating woman with or without glasses. Theodora , played by Rosie Newman-Bekkelund meanwhile oozes sensuality. Charlie Edeisten, as Luke is a very confident actor as was Carole Ore and Alison Powell. Don’t forget the ghost (Beth Paice) very spooky. Light and sound work splendidly to underscore the paranoia and fear unfolding before the eyes. If you like your knocking to be of the thunderous variety—and who doesn’t, you will not be disappointed. If this is hell it has no symphony, this is what it may sound like.
In a nutshell, The Haunting of Hill House, which was really well directed by Caroline Newman, is a production that delights in scaring people and it certainly did that. Except for the prompts for some of the cast. the evening was most entertaining. “Sleep well and don’t have nightmares,” - quote on loan from Nicky Campbell…
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