As one of the highest grossing films of all time, it is no surprise that William Peter Blatty’s The Exorcist has joined a new genre of horror classics taking to the live stage. A novel as well as a blockbuster film, in December 1973, record numbers of audiences filled cinema screens before reports emerged of movie goers vomiting, fainting and fleeing cinemas in fear.
Throughout Britain, local councils banned screenings and horror fans travelled on “Exorcist bus trips” to seek out cinemas allowing it to be shown. In recent years it has been transformed onto the stage in a new live experience to frighten and shock the theatre world with a tour currently playing in the Theatre Royal this week.
The bone chilling tale features a young 12 year old girl Regan (Susannah Edgley), daughter to the famous American actress Chris MacNeil (Sophie Ward). Regan comes across a Ouija board while exploring her creaky old Georgian house. Whilst playing with the board, she becomes possessed by a devilish spirit who exploits her innocent and vulnerable persona for his own evil gains.
As medical science fails to explain her increasingly violent, sexual and erratic behaviour, her distraught mother turns to Father Damien Karras (Ben Caplan) – a psychiatrist priest who is also struggling with his own faith. He works together with Father Merrin (Paul Nicholas) as they desperately try an “exorcism” on young Regan – can they save the young girl and defeat this evil demon?
This live stage show is most definitely deserving of its 18+ certificate with plenty of uncomfortable and gory moments filled with sexualised content, crude swearing and some quite graphic scenes.
Cult fans of the original film may be disappointed that certain key scenes are missed from the stage version. The levitation scene and the spider walk for example are absent. However special effects are a key element of the show including the bed-rocking scene, satanic chanting, the 360 head spin, projectile vomiting and plenty of smoke and sound effects to ensure the audience is in no doubt about the horror of the demon in front of their eyes.
Edgley delivers a strong performance as she transitions from the sweet and innocent young girl into a thrashing, possessed, satanic demon. Her excellent lip syncing and commitment to a physically and emotionally demanding role are to be commended. Ward also delivers an emotional performance as a guilt-ridden mother desperate to save her daughter at any cost. Tristram Wymark who plays Burke Dennis adds an element of humour to the show, providing some brief light relief from the horror.
The success of the show is mainly due to the clever special effects, two storey stage design and dramatic, impressive lighting by Philip Gladwell which ensures the necessary tension for plenty of frights throughout the night. The set has all of the classic components of a horror genre – a ouiji board, a creepy old attic in a dark and gloomy house and plenty of shadows lurking in the dark.
The atmosphere is tense from the opening where the audience is suddenly plunged into darkness prompting lots of nervous giggles and screams as the nightmare is only just beginning.
Designer Anna Fleischle commented on the opportunity to turn the famous tale into a stage show, “The thing unique to theatre is that you are in the same room together at the same time as the story is unfolding live in front of your eyes. What is has over reading is the possible hysteria of the person sitting next to you. As an audience member you are dealing with what you see and hear on stage at the same times as you are experiencing the emotions of your fellow audience members. It is the unique magic of the theatre that I am hoping we will use to create a theatrical telling of the story.”
A suitably unnerving yet strangely entertaining performance that will continue to scare audiences throughout their UK tour. The Exorcist is at the Theatre Royal until 21st September.