"The Red Room" by H.G. Wells.

Free Roam Theatre Company.

Performed by Ellie Ball.

Adapted by Charlotte Ball.

The Studio Theatre, West Bridgford.

Written in 1894, this is a wonderfully atmospheric retelling of Wells' gothic chiller, by Ellie Ball, the story itself adapted for this one woman show by Ellie's sister, Charlotte.

In the remote castle of Lorraine there is a room that is said to be haunted. This room is called The Red Room and there, supposedly, a young duke had died succumbing to apoplexy after a fall down the steps leading from the room; the same room that his wife also died.

The narrator, rather skeptical, decides to spend the night there to prove that nothing strange happens there and with the intention of disproving all the local legends surrounding it. The three guardians of Lorraine Castle who reside there warn the narrator not to do so, but they decide to go ahead and spend the night alone in The Red Room. But are they really alone?

Some of the shadows seem to have human form and, although initially reason prevails, little by little the fear of the darkness and the place increases. Are there really ghosts there? Or is it the person's own fear that makes him see the apparitions?

Fear can make your mind work overtime and see and hear things that may not be there. How many times have we all watched something on TV and a shiver go down your spine? In the safety of your own living room, you know that certain things are improbable, but the mind takes over and fear develops. Franklin D Roosevelt himself said in his first inaugural address back in 1933, "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself", and while his quote may not have been about shadows and noises, the quote is quite apt.

The Studio Theatre is an ideal venue for this story as it's small and intimate and with just a few props to add to the storyline, you concentrate fully on Ellie's story telling skills. A scarf is used in several ways to depict the three elderly guardians, a torch creates unease and shadows, and the full length mirror almost distracts from flickers and images reflected, or are they also just in the mind of the narrator?

From being a child, we have all loved being read to, especially when trying to get a child to sleep (I wouldn't recommend this tale though for that purpose), or at school to entertain, so story telling is a way to capture the imagination of an active mind. As we grow up we still love to listen to stories, making our own imaginations do some of the work, why else would the Radio Four drama series "The Archers" still reel in millions of listeners today, in a world of modern technology or "Jackanory" keep being revisited? It's because we all love to listen to stories and allow the narrator to plant those wonderful seeds in our brains to build up images of characters, just as Ellie Ball did.

Ellie's acting skills and voices bring the physicality of the elder characters to life, and just by shutting your eyes, you can envisage what they may have looked like.

Sound is by Liz Daly, and even from the build up to Ellie's first appearance, we hear the sound of a clock ticking, enough to drive you mad or to count down to, it also sets your nerves on edge. That is even before a word is spoken and the sound of a crackling fire takes over, immediately presenting mental images of a dark castle room with just a roaring fire to cast shadows up the walls, or present strange images in the coals - and that's just in your mind! The other louder sound effects arrive without warning, and I saw a couple of audience members jump at these.

Lighting is by David Daly, and this is the other half of the trickery of the mind, keeping the performance area in shadows, also allowing Ellie's torch to be used to create more mystery.

As I've said, I love listening to stories, and especially stories that create chills. It's not a horror story by any means, H.G. Wells was very good at writing suspense and psychological works, and that is why this particular story fulfills everyone's desire to be put on edge, especially as Christmas, which is always the time for a good spooky tale.

This is a one night only performance, but please check out Free Roam Theatre online for future productions.