Inspired by the life of Shirley Jackson and the ghost stories of M.R. James, Shirley: A Ghost Story is a one-person play performed by Jasmin Gleeson and written by Josh King, together as Moon Rabbit Theatre. The play jumps between two settings, one past and one present, both equally haunted: in the past there is a young girl version of Shirley and a story her older self is desperate to tell, and in the present there is a husband profiting from her writing and trying to tell his own, rather cliched, ghost story.
Unlike Shirley’s husband’s story, this is an atypical ghost-story, and Gleeson jumps ably between the two time-lines, juggling not just different settings and ages but also characters (including the buffonish and controlling husband) with humour and subtlety, aided by King’s lighting and the script’s creeping mystery, and despite The Space Surgeon’s Hall yearly issues with temperature (but why resolve an issue when you could just make money and not?).
Shirley: A Ghost Story is a ghost-story in the classic sense, one that takes full advantage of its staging and clearly understands the difference between traditional and cliché, making fun of the latter, while delivering a great example of the former.
Shirley is running at Stephenson Theatre at theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall on alternating days until the 23rd August. Tickets can be found at: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/shirley-a-ghost-story
Reviewer: Oliver Giggins
Reviewed: 3rd August 2025
North West End UK Rating: