This staging by Red Rope Theatre of Edgar Allan Poe’s classic supernatural horror, The Fall of the House of Usher, takes place in the very appropriate setting of the Anglican chapel at Arnos Vale Cemetery in Bristol. The story was first published in 1839, the same year as the cemetery’s first burial.
Walking up the dark path lined by gravestones to the stunning building delivers a real-life spooky atmosphere for this chilling tale. Candles flicker and haunting music fills the air as the story begins.
Adapted for the stage by award-winning writer Matt Grinter, the show is the story of Edgar’s visit to his childhood friends and twins Roderick and Madeline Usher. The siblings are cursed by a strange illness while living alone in a mysterious house.
The building itself provides the perfect set, with the only other staging the candles that line the altar and a model of the twins’ peculiar home. The show begins with the friends reminiscing about their childhood adventures, but there’s an overshadowing tension and a warning of the horror there is to come.
The production’s trio of actors, Patrick McAndrew (Edgar), Rebecca Robson (Madeline) and Dannan McAleer (Roderick), are all superb. They make excellent use of the space, while moving between the aisles of the audience of around 100 people. We really felt like we were part of the action.
The sound and music are stunning too. It adds a super eerie ambiance as Edgar uncovers more about Madeline and Roderick’s strange behaviour, before the shocking conclusion.
The nature of the staging with the cast moving around the chapel meant there were a few moments when it was a little hard to hear the dialogue, but this is still a brilliant production in an immersive and spectacular setting. We’d highly recommend it for a winter night out of great theatre.
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The Fall of the House of Usher is at Arnos Vale Cemetery until 6 December.
Images by Craig Fuller
