The Mist in the Mirror @ Oldham Coliseum

The Mist in the Mirror marks the third collaboration between Oldham Coliseum and multi-platform company Imitating the Dog, and it’s clear they’ve hit upon a successful formula. This is an audience friendly, narrative led production with ITD’s trademark visual projections (maps, snow storms and gloomy corridors included) brilliantly heightening the gothic atmosphere. If there’s a problem with Mist – like Woman in Black, also based on a ghost story by Susan Hill – then its familiarity. We’ve been here before, and the shocks and shivers feel a tad predictable.

Using a story-within-a-story structure, Mist begins with an unnamed Reader (Jack Lord) uncovering the story of Sir James Monmouth (Paul Warriner) – himself travelling in the footsteps of explorer Conrad Vane, a complex man both intrepid and corrupting, and with a taste for the dark arts (he was a member of the ‘Cloven Hoof Club’). Sir James discovers a historical connection but his attempts to uncover the truth are dogged by a mysterious orphan. Is the boy friend or foe?

Ian Kershaw’s adaptation is lean and efficient, and there are few dead spots in director Kevin Shaw’s production. Composer James Hamilton’s subtle, creepy music also deserves a mention. On the minus side, the ghosts (there are two) aren’t particularly scary, but it’s a fun ride, worth seeing for the haunted mirror trick alone. The partnership between the Coliseum and ITD is shaping up to be one worth celebrating. 

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