Who doesn’t love a good old ghost story?

And none more-so than one from writer, M.R. James, who some consider ‘the grandfather of British horror’. A factor that separates him from many of his predecessors is that when he started writing in this genre (his first collection published in 1904), he chose to set his stories in a more ‘realistic and contemporary’ setting, as opposed to leaning towards gothic influences.

And it is this element that attracts me (and terrifies me) the most when it comes to the genre, be it in the literary, the cinematic or of course theatrical world, that the narrative enters a situation that I could find myself in.

Because it’s all about me, of course. Dark nights, shadows, the home, the workplace, the library, the street…it’s all about the what if and playing on the paranoia of ordinary souls like us. But is it paranoia…

Indeed James himself said, the story must “put the reader into the position of saying to himself, “If I’m not very careful, something of this kind may happen to me!”.

And so, to Casting the Runes…

Expert on the so-called supernatural, Edward Dunning, is a scholar and a sceptic. But when he crosses paths with the mysterious Mr. Karswell, his life becomes a waking nightmare. Haunted by something sinister at every turn, he must uncover the secret of the mysterious runes handed to him by Karswell, before his time runs out and the dark presence at his heels finally catches up with him…

This literary adaptation by the, frankly, brilliant Box Tale Soup (I do love a good theatre company name), works hard to bring innovative techniques in bringing this tale from the page to the stage.

Directed by Adam Lenson, this tour of Casting the Runes is fresh from a successful run at Edinburgh Festival Fringe, this summer.

The chilling supernatural story is reimagined (but in no way that betrays the heart of the story) in its presentation and indeed in the choreography of a tale told in 60 minutes by two performers, Noel Byrne and Antonia Christophers.

And this talented duo don’t stop there. Not only did they perform this two-hander (well, aided and abetted by some particularly special cameos which I’ll come to shortly), but they wrote the adaptation, created and designed the set, the props and costumes, and all from recycled materials.

For these triple+ threats, their work is clearly a project of passion, and it shows.

Now let us turn to those cameos. Those ‘props’. Those glorious puppets.

I’ve noticed that puppetry is becoming an ever-increasing element in theatre, and when executed well, will only add to the production, and never distract. With the performers morphing into the supporting cast of characters in tandem with their handheld puppets on standby to assist along the way, it felt in-keeping and never comical or pantomime-like (unless called for by the character). And particularly with the elusive, chilling character that is Mr Karswell, it was important for the depiction to remain true to the chilling nature of the tale.

Scene changes, were accompanied by a fittingly spooky and sweeping original score by Dan Melrose, and were smooth, almost hypnotic as both actors deftly performed a series of synchronised manoeuvres to take us from scene to scene with a swivel of a bookshelf, a resetting of a suitcase, and repositioning of a streetlight.

Darkly lit, and lines which were delivered with dramatic deliberation a spooky mood was maintained, the tension building slowly, to a hold onto your seats crescendo of a finale.

I would suggest that if you’re of a nervous disposition you don’t go and see this fantastically creative production. But it’s just too good. So I won’t.

You can always sleep with the light on forever more…

Casting the Runes continues its tour at South Hill Park Arts Centre, Bracknell on 5 October, with a full list of tour dates here.

To find out what else is coming up at Waterside Arts in Sale, check out the website at Waterside Arts.