The Birmingham Rep is about to get possessed with thousands of horror geeks frothing at the mouth to witness the UK stage premiere of the cult 1970s classic horror story The Exorcist brought terrifyingly to life live on stage this October 2016.
The play by John Pielmeirer is based on the original novel by William Peter Blatty, which itself was inspired by a ‘real’ 1949 case of demonic possession and exorcism that Blatty heard about while he was a student. The novel was famously turned into one of the most iconic horror films ever made, described as everything from an ‘expert telling of a supernatural horror story’ to ‘nothing more than a religious porn film’, and which despite winning an academy award was banned from video release in the UK for over a decade. Oh the joys of censorship!
The stage play was originally performed way back in 2012 in Los Angeles, directed by John Doyle and which starred Brooke Shields and Richard Chamberlin, and although well received by audiences, like the movie, got mixed reviews. It has rarely performed professionally since
However Pielmeier’s script has now been raised from the dead, and is being completely reworked from his original version. This Bill Kenwright/Birmingham Rep co-production will be the plays first ever sighting in the UK, and as attracted a production team and star cast to die for, including director Sean Mathias, designer Anna Fleischle, and a cast including Jenny Seagrove, Adam Garcia and Peter Bowles. Special Effects and illusions (ie the stuff that will help scare the sh*t out of you) are being created by magic man Ben Hart.
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
The story centres around a young girl, Regan, who has been subject to demonic possession. Her mother, Chris, seeks out to the church to perform an exorcism. As well as the sheer horror of the subject matter, themes of faith are also explored. It’s not yet known if the play will adopt the look and feel of the film, however the show’s promotional material, video trailer and even the ‘Tubular Bells’ style music being used to sell the show is all incredibly reminiscent of the movie.
ONSLAUGHT OF HORROR THEATRE
‘Horror Theatre’ as a genre is not that common in the UK. This is surprising, as Britain has such a rich legacy in horror, through both literature and film. Certainly over the last few yesr the ‘US style Halloween Holiday’ has become commercially more dominant in the UK, and at the same time US ‘paid for’ digital TV channels have found massive success with gory blockbuster shows such as ‘The Walking Dead’, ‘American Horror Story’ and ‘Stranger Things’ . This influence means that live theatrical horror experiences are becoming much more popular over here.
Live horror experience seems to be creeping into the mainstream more and more, and being offered up to quench the thirst of hordes of bloodthirsty theatregoers and scream queen fans.
Sure October seems to be the month these are more noticable, but In Birmingham for example ‘Twisted Attrations’ provides a range of terrifying experiences, with live actors all year round. While on stage ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ and ‘Sweeney Todd’ remain two of the most popular stage mucials ever. More recently Generation of Zombies was the hit the 2015 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and The League of Gentlemen’s master of the macabre, Jeremy Dyson brought his own dark style of storytelling to life in the West End with ‘Ghost Stories’. Meanwhile spooky ‘The Woman In Black’ is currenly on tour, and is visiting several Midlands venues. including the Lichfield Garrick, Wolverhampton Grand and The Regent in Stoke.
MONSTER COMMERCIAL SUCCESS?
So I would imagine that is it no coicindence that this stage production of The Exorcist just happens to be programmed at the Rep in the second half of October, playing throughout the Halloween season. And I wonder too if it’s simply just fortunate timing that it is being staged at the same time that a brand new big budget TV series of The Exorcist is about to air.
Whichever way you slice it, whether it’s a ‘Halloween Horror Maze’, or a clever supernatural stage production, there is no doubt that horror looks like it has enough of a presence to attract enough of a mainstream audience to be worthy of headlining any theatre programme, and becoming a monster commercial hit in the process.
The Exoricst takes possession of The Birmingham Repertory Theatre from 21 October to 5 November. Check out the video trailer below (but whatever you do, don’t play it backwards!).
DATES, VENUE & ALL THAT STUFF
The Exorcist is on at The Birmingham Repertory Theatre from 21 October to 5 November 2016.
The REP is situated in Centenary Square next to the International Convention Centre
Performances:
Evening performances 7:30pm (Saturdays 8pm)
Matinees on Thursdays (2:30pm) and Saturdays (4pm)
Audio Described Performance Tuesday 1 November, 7.30pm
Captioned Performance Wednesday 2 November, 7.30pm
BSL Interpreted Performance Thursday 3 November, 7.30pm
Tickets:
Range from £10 to a terrifying £37.50
Contains adult material which may shock and offend. Due to the nature of the content, it has an age guidance of 18+.
BOX OFFICE OR BOOK ONLINE
Box Office: 0121 236 4455
You can Book Online here
BOOK TICKETS NOWPOST SHOW TALKS AND WORKSHOPS
Post Show Discussion Wednesday 26 October, 7.30pm
There is also the option to experience an accompanyong live experience called, Séance . Taking place in a shipping container in front of The REP, this thrilling and immersive performance is suitable for up to 20 people and lasts for 15 minutes.
Using innovative 3D stereo sound and movement, Séance transports you to a terrifying realm where nothing is as it seems. More about Séance here
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You can also find out more about the Birmingham Rep here
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