Who doesn’t love a good ghost story? In this case, out-of-work voiceover actor George is hired to narrate a chilling tale, only to gradually realise that he may also be living one. Soon, the audience understands that they too are being drawn into the haunting. Jamie Armitage’s clever new work is a smart addition to one of theatre’s oldest genres, and it works quite brilliantly. As George is pulled from the comfort of central London into the desolate sound studio, the audience wearing binaural headphones is similarly drawn into his growing unease. The supernatural story being narrated and the one unfolding around him gradually merge, becoming our own lived experience. It is a neat trick, expertly handled by writer and director Armitage. George’s fear is contagious, and his trauma becomes collective. George Blagden, playing his tormented namesake, holds the audience in thrall with remarkable control. Using only his voice, he conjures both the character’s emotional unravelling and the eerie atmosphere of a country house and the city studio. It is audio storytelling at its most effective. Blagden is well matched by Jonathan Livingstone as Sid, an old friend and prosaic sound engineer on the brink of fatherhood. Slowly, the play reveals how the anxieties of parenthood, its responsibilities, fears, and potential for harm, sit at the heart of both narratives. These themes resonate deeply, tapping into the shared psychological tensions many of us carry. A Ghost In Your Ear is an unnerving, tightly crafted piece that lingers long after it ends, deftly exploring the darker corners of the human mind.
Rated: ★★★★
Reviewed by J.C.
Photo by Marc Brenner
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