By Rosanna Spence
I’ve wanted to watch a Gurt Haunted show for ages, but I’ve never been quick enough each time they announce a show; much like a spectre you spot out the corner of your eye, a Gurt Haunted ticket is very much a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it affair.
So, when I heard that Francis Hailbop (pictured middle, brought back from the dead with show-stealing physical comedy by Toby George), Tony Chestnut (pictured left, fuelled by Casey Lloyd’s impressive commitment to maintaining intense levels of exasperation and the ability to keep the narrative marching along), and their sound guy and best mate Reece (pictured right, Benj Foster brings delightfully wicked dimensions to Reece, who goes through, shall we say, rather a lot in this cursed tale) were transforming their regular Most Haunted Live meets This Country sell-out show into a festive feast, it got me thinking: do I believe in Christmas miracles as much as I believe in ghosts?
In Gurt Haunted: Miracle On North Street, the hunt for eerie entities who’ve set up camp in south Bristol is in full swing. How can an innocent letter to Santa… with one teeny, tiny spelling mistake in the recipient’s name… cause such carnage? Something’s definitely up with Reece, even if Francis and Tony can’t see it yet.
The audience becomes, well, the audience, as we’re dropped into the middle of filming for the latest episode of Gurt Haunted. For a couple of hours, Tobacco Factory’s Spielman Theatre transforms into a West Country TV studio version of Colin and Cameron Cairnes’s smash-hit 2023 movie Late Night With The Devil, which follows a live show broadcast contacting spirits that horrifyingly deteriorates on air.
Back in BS3, tensions are high among the Gurt Haunted team. It’s been a while since Francis and Tony last talked. And now they need our help – quite literally, prepare for a generous dose of audience participation – to save Bemmie from the wrong kind of Christmas spirit (although a tot of brandy might help ease you into your new role as a ghostbuster).
The show has perfectly-sized helpings of spooky and seasonal content. I was particularly pleased to see the iconic Love Actually doorstep cards make a hilarious appearance from ‘the other side’ of a scrying mirror, and the candy cane dowsing rods were inspired. The part-improvised script moves quickly, so you have to concentrate or you’ll miss some cracking lines (“Your mother cooks socks in Hell!”). And who knew Satan was actually the pink and yellow Ultimate Agent of Chaos from 90s telly on the other end of a certain red phone?! Plus, you’ll never guess who his festively-named PA is…
Gurt Haunted asks some vital questions. Would you make a deal – or no deal – with the devil to save your mate from the underworld? Are the spirits that wander the Tobacco Factory here to help or hinder us? And what mystical powers does Wham!’s classic Last Christmas really contain?
I’d tell you more, but like Francis, Reece and anyone else who’s dabbled with the devil, I’ve had to sign an NDA…
Gurt Haunted: Miracle On North Street is at Tobacco Factory Theatres until 3 Jan. Buy tickets here.
