WOKINGHAM Theatre’s festive show pledges chills and laughter in equal measures for those lucky enough to have a ticket.
Christmas at Grimley Hall, a new comedy horror written specially for the venue, must be exactly what audiences are looking for this year as the world premier sold out weeks before its opening night.
Filled with chills, thrills and spooky goings on, it enjoys plenty of clever visual effects, thanks to director Fiona Rogers and the play’s writer, and professional lighting designer, Martin Kempton.
Mr Kempton said: “On a whim I volunteered to write a Christmas play, because Alan Long, Wokingham Theatre’s artistic director had said how difficult it can be to find a suitable Christmas play.
“I asked myself, what do people really like watching on TV over the festive period?
“I thought immediately of Christmas ghost stories, and started digging out all the tales I knew, searching for ideas to incorporate into a completely new story.
“I’ve shamelessly nicked a few elements from other supernatural stories, but I had plenty of my own to put into the mix too, along with bits of tales I’d heard or read.
“There are lots of references to Christmas, and all the usual themes of redemption, positivity, and people going through difficult times, that are happily resolved at the end.”
The show definitely ends on an uplifting note, but it is a ghost story, and a few goose bumps will be encountered along the way.
“I’m not saying whether I believe in ghosts or not,” continued Mr Kempton, “but people have told me that they have experienced them.
“So I’ve incorporated a few things I’ve heard, and although it’s not a horror story, there are chilling moments as well as some laughs.
“The comedy comes mostly from the semi-farcical situation, but also from larger-than-life characters which I hope audience members will recognise and enjoy.”
Mr Kempton has previously written two one-act plays for the Maidenhead Players.
Both pieces won drama festivals, and gained trophies and awards.
“When I came to write Grimley Hall, I knew that I had written successfully before, but a two-act play is much more of a challenge,” Mr Kempton said.
“You have to make sure there’s a cliff-hanger for people to discuss in the bar during the interval, and a story needs developing in act two, in a slightly different direction.”
By the time Mr Kenton retired in 2020, he had worked on more than 30 different television situation comedies, including: Upstart Crow, Miranda, The Goes Wrong Show, and Not Going Out.
“I’m used to hearing comedy, and listening to audience reactions, and I’ve read so many sitcom scripts over the years,” he said.
“It’s interesting to analyse them, and to work out what makes an audience laugh.
“Some of that must have sunk in, and hopefully it can be seen and enjoyed here at Wokingham Theatre.”
The event takes place at Wokingham Theatre, from Thursday, December 7 through to Saturday, December 16, with the exception of Sunday.
Doors open at 7pm, with performances at 7.45pm.
Tickets, costing £16, are sold out, but any returns on the night may be snapped up from the box office from 7pm on performance nights.
For information, and to enquire about return tickets, visit: www.wokinghamtheatre.org.uk
