Hit horror theatre show ‘Ghost Stories’ has returned to the West End of London following up its hugely successful run. Co-creators Andy Nyman (‘Kick-Ass 2’) and Jeremy Dyson (‘The League of Gentlemen’) took time out to chat with us about their rebooted play set to scare the living crap out of all those who brave the production at its new home at the London Arts Theatre.
Many of us fans of the show
have been highly anticipating its return to the West End. Do you think the
restaged and reimagined version will surprise and still please audiences
whom are familiar with the original setup?
ANDY: We are so excited about this new production. Whilst the play is
fundamentally the same, we have made changes throughout it, some small and
some….well let’s just say they will be very cool.
During its’ last London run I
managed to get down to see the show on three separate occasions with three
separate groups of friends. It was interesting to see each of their
reactions to the shows’ constant surprises and what in particular scared
them the most. How evolved is the latest production in terms of the fear
factor?
JEREMY: Hand on heart, I think this will be the scariest it’s ever been.
It’s a combination of the new moments we have written combined with the
fact this theatre is soooo intimate. It’s just 350 seats and the look and
sound of it is almost overwhelming at times.
A number of new faces have
joined the production this time around. How involved are you guys with the
casting of the show?
ANDY: As the directors, Jeremy and I had 100% control over the casting. We
were lucky enough to get all our first choices of actors.
Andy, I understand you are not
amongst the cast this time around (shame on you! :)), was this a decision
of necessity due to your workload or simply a chance to step back and
shake things up?
ANDY: Having done the show over 500 times in the west end last time
around, we really wanted to make sure the show worked without me. The
actor we have playing my role is superb, so we are in very good hands.
There have been rumours of a
potential adaptation to the big screen for a ‘Ghost Stories’ movie. Is
this something being planned and if so can we expect an anthology type
horror or will we see a particular segment of the show
expanded?
JEREMY: Oh it’s real. Andy and i have written the screenplay and are now
in negotiations with the company we want to work with. It’s very exciting,
we may well roll cameras on it early next year. That will be for Andy and
I to direct and for Andy to reprise the role again.
The show’s success has been
largely due to the tight lipped audience members who have selflessly kept
quiet about the terrifying surprises of ‘Ghost Stories’ so not to spoil
the experience for others. My partner (who refers to Andy as the cute one
in ‘Severance’) is yet to enjoy ‘Ghost Stories’, but will be attending
later this month, and I’ve told her very little about the show. If you
could pitch the experience to her in one simple sentence what would it
be?
ANDY: Firstly your partner has excellent taste.
JEREMY: Secondly ‘Ghost Stories’ is unlike any play you
will ever have seen before, it is an 80 minute thrill ride that will make
you laugh, scream and leap out of your seat. It’s a joy that despite over
300,000 people seeing it worldwide, it’s secrets are still kept under
wraps.
There’s been an obvious horror
influence throughout both your careers. What do you think keeps the genre
going that makes it still so special to those of all ages?
ANDY: It’s the best escapism. When horror is great, you have no choice,
you have to succumb and lose your self in the story. Add to the that jolts
and adrenaline rush of a good one, and you leave feeling alive and
buzzing.
For me it was when Glen
(played by Johnny Depp) was pulled into his bed by Freddy in an explosion
of blood in Wes Craven’s original ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’. That’s
where my interest in horror was piqued. If you had to specify a moment in
horror which you think seeded your love for the genre what would it
be?
ANDY: For me it was two-fold, the terror of the scary opening credits of
the ITV Saturday night series ‘Thriller’ in the 1970’s, that was the first
thing that truly scared me. It then lay dormant until I saw ‘The Fog’ at
the pictures. The whole jolting experience changed my life.
You guys clearly have a great
working relationship, do you have any plans to collaborate in the future
on any projects?
JEREMY: Oh yes, on lots. We have our next play and two other film projects
in the pipeline.
What’s next for you guys when
this run ends? Jeremy, can we expect to see more from ‘The League’ in the
future? And Andy, how did you get involved with Evan Katz’s segment in the
upcoming ‘ABCs of Death 2’?
ANDY: I bumped into Evan Katz at Fright Fest last year and we had a mutual
admiration for each others work. I then got an email out the blue asking
me to star in his ABC segment: I couldn’t get on the plane fast
enough!
Jeremy: Me and the other guys did a one off charity event earlier this
year. It was wonderful to be together again but at the moment we’re all
just too busy with our own separate projects. Obviously never say never
though, when the timings right you never know.
For more about the show and to buy tickets you can head on over to: www.ghoststoriestheshow.co.uk
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