The Haunting of Hill House at Richmond Theatre

As a regular goer to Richmond Theatre, The Haunting of Hill House was an obvious thing to see, particularly as it came with the boast that it came from a best-selling novel and major hit Netflix series. It did not concern me that I had heard of neither!

Prices keep edging up at all theatres and this cost me £40 for my usual seat, Dress Circle  24, even with the ATG+ Opening Night Offer which saved me £10.

Also getting more expensive was the bottle of Staropramen that I had beforehand which had risen to £8.75.

The view of the set from my seat gave a clue to the nature of the production with architectural image projected on to a semitransparent screen at the front of the stage, a common technique these days.

Any doubts about the nature of the play were dispelled at the very start when the auditorium and stage suddenly went dark and there was a loud screeching noise.

And that is about it. The play consisted almost entirely of light and sound effects with little attempt to tell a story or to portray characters. To confirm that the show was more about noise that substance the actors used microphones, which is never a good sign.

Though the show was shallow in content the effects were effective, Clancy Ryan shone through the bluster (helped by a stylish dress) and the story fragments were just about enough to keep me entertained if not stimulated.