Classic ghost tales
1:21pm Thursday 19th January 2012 in Theatre & Arts
Classic ghost tales
TWO of the greatest ghost stories in the English language will be brought to life on the Wyvern stage on Saturday.
Actor Robert Lloyd Parry has won acclaim for his one-man shows based around the works of MR James, who lived from 1862 to 1936 and is widely regarded as England’s greatest writer of supernatural tales.
The actor takes the role of the writer, telling the stories just as James did for fellow academics and friends in his rooms at King’s College, Cambridge.
One of the stories, Oh, Whistle and I’ll Come to You, My Lad, is perhaps James’ most famous. It is about a professor who goes on a seaside holiday. He stumbles on the ruins of an ancient building and digs up a whistle inscribed with the words ‘QUIS EST ISTE QUI VENIT’ – Latin for ‘Who is this who is coming?’ The question is answered when he blows the whistle.
The other story is The Ash Tree, a tale of witchcraft and a vengeance that spans centuries. Called Oh Whistle...Two Ghost Stories by MR James, the Wyvern show starts at 7.30pm and tickets cost £14.50 from www.wyverntheatre.org.uk. The performance is not suitable for people aged under 13.
