As if I hadn’t jumped out of my skin enough on Tuesday evening, while watching the ghostly It Walks Around the House at Night, at Hull Truck Theatre, my worst nightmare came true.
You see, there was nothing between me, on Row A, and a black, floor-length curtain through which anyone – or anything – could jump out and, shudder, get me. My imagination was running riot.
Sure enough, halfway through the scary performance (a ThickSkin production), I heard a rustle nearby and my no-longer-imaginary figure emerged in the pitch dark. I managed to stifle an embarrassing scream – it was a fellow theatregoer popping out, I assume, to spend a penny. Her reappearance a few minutes later confirmed my assumption. Phew!
Taking my seat a few minutes before the start, gave me time to peruse the stage. All was dark; the floor wasn’t raised and appeared to be coated in a black substance which caught the light at times. A cream-coloured wooden chair took centre stage, in front of a raised platform whose jagged edge sloped down towards the floor. Two items of furniture, covered in a black material, revealed themselves later on to be a single bed and a small fridge.
A full-width video backdrop showed the name of the show in large letters, and this backdrop changed dramatically at intervals, depending upon what scary stuff was happening on stage. And plenty was!
The story follows desperate out-of-work actor, Joe (the incredibly talented George Naylor), a bar worker who can’t seem to get a break with all things thespian.
He dumped his posh boyfriend, Rufus, a Baron’s son, when the disapproving aristocrat promised him an acting role if he left Rufus alone. He did, but the Baron was telling posh porkies.
So, when a handsome and very rich stranger, dishy David, offers him a well-paid acting job for a week, he readily accepts.
David lives in the remote, countryside manor Paragon Hall, and wants Joe to dress up as a Victorian ghost to frighten, and entertain, his two nieces who are staying with him.
Joe fancies David straight away, but will anything come of their connection?
Joe’s accommodation is away from the hall, so as not to give the game away to the nieces.
It consists of a single bed, bedside lamp and fridge.
Joe sheds his modern gear of pale-coloured baggy jeans and dark t-shirt (several times throughout the performance) and dresses in garb from the Victorian era – frilly white shirt, waistcoat, long jacket in maroon and black trousers – and awaits David’s knock on the door each evening, summoning him to his ghostly role.
All Joe is required to do is walk the pre-set walk – turns out it’s far from the doddle he originally thought it to be. As his “job” progresses, Joe begins to feel he is being followed on his walks and, after retiring to his room, his sleep is regularly disturbed – as we in the packed theatre are when the lights darken with a large bang, leaving us wondering what the heck will happen in the darkness.
That happened many times, but we were never prepared for such drama.
Joe is regularly in touch with colleagues and friends, who inform him the manor house doesn’t exist. They’ve searched online.
By now, Joe is beginning to feel more than uneasy and prepares to leave. But when David, with a rare smile, offers him £10,000 to stay, it’s a no-brainer for the wannabe actor.
But things start to get really scary for Joe, and us, with huge skeletal hands reaching out for him, while the appearance of shadowy figures make him question his sanity.
He wakes up from his nightmarish sleeps looking worn out, wondering what’s real and what’s fiction. Did Rufus really come to rescue him or was it a figment of his imagination? And did his colleague, Gabby, drive up in her car to help him destroy the evil pervading the hall?
Was it all in his mind?
It’s at times such as these that the amazing video backdrop comes alive with flashes, bangs and wallops that added greatly to the dramatic atmosphere – as did the numerous times the lights went out completely, adding to our terror.
Adding to Joe’s terror is the sensation of being pulled back, pushed forward and generally tossed around like a rag doll.
During one such dark, scary spell, Joe disappears to be replaced with The Dancer (a very agile Oliver Baines), yet another haunting presence lingering in the shadows, while the deep voice of Paul Hilton reveals all about the dark side of the hall and its bygone occupants.
Writer Tim Foley’s script is scattered with swear words, but Naylor’s delivery is always amusing.
On the stage for 90 minutes, with a short break, he talks non-stop, acts non-stop and thoroughly entertains non-stop. What an incredible performer; I was sorry when the show ended.
The rapturous applause from all in the theatre that night, showed I wasn’t the only one feeling that way.
Recommended age: 14+
It Walks Around the House at Night runs at Hull Truck Theatre until Thursday, October 8th, 2026 with tickets available from www.hulltruck.co.uk and (01482) 323638
Reviewer: Jackie Foottit
Reviewed: 6th October 2026
North West End UK Rating:
Franz & Marie is a tragic love story set in 19th-century Europe, where men are…
Gangs of teenagers were eagerly posing with the publicity posters outside this historic venue keen…
It’s the 1880s, and in Jane Austen’s classic romantic novel, the five Bennet sisters are…
Nestled in a Grade II-listed church in Silvertown, the Brick Lane Music Hall prides itself…
Set around the kitchen table in the farm kitchen, The Farmer’s Wife holds nothing back…
The Brown Suite where Soul Tells the Story: Six lives, One night, One dance floor. …