The Mist in the Mirror at Doncaster's CAST, Friday 27th March 2015

Photo Credit: Oldham Coliseum Theatre

(Accessed: http://www.coliseum.org.uk)

Ian Kershaw's adaptation of Susan Hill's The Mist in the Mirror is about Sir James Monmouth, played by Paul Warriner, who is pursuing an explorer.  The play is produced jointly by Oldham Coliseum Theatre and imitating the dog who is renowned for their innovative hi-tech visual stage projections.

This World Premiere is Hill's second full length ghost story after the popular Women in Black, which is currently running at the Fortune Theatre in London's West End and iscurrently touring around the country.  The production switches between the narration of a ghost story and the actual actions itself. The stage is dark, smoky, atmospheric which builds up the intrigue and suspense at the very beginning of play till the very end.  Accompanied by sound scapes, echoes and heart beating rhythms it suggests both that something isn't right.  It certainly gives grounds for one to be scared or excessively curious to what is about to happen.

The Mist in the Mirror travels between London, North York Moors, Scotland and other places. There is clever and innovative use of how the scenes are interpreted with its clever visual projections.  The projections compliments the sounds and music, not only it aids the scenes and characters, it creates one's figment of imagination about intrigue, fear and suspense throughout.

Mr James Monmouth, who pursues his quest, dwells into the dark past of the past ancestors, legends and heirlooms in old historic buildings and graveyards and is greet by the vividness from past connections in mystical environment.  The music unsettles Monmouth in which causing anxiety and fear and imagination mixing with possible reality. Expecting the unexpected, particularly with the audience member, is a key thing.

This production will always be associated with the incredible staging by Barney George and the stunning visual projections and lighting by imitating the dog where these attributes create the dark and eerie feel for telling a perfect ghost story by an excellent cast. 

The Mist in the Mirror is touring up to May 2015 and further information can be found via the Oldham Coliseum Theatre website.