The Book of Darkness and Light

Fear and eerie tales in a loathsome basement; Samrana Hussain does Halloween at The Tetley

Haunting violin music fills the air as the storyteller begins his journey through the book of strange and terrifying stories which left me with a sense of gentle foreboding. As the storyteller and musician weave their way through three spine-tingling tales of ghostly madness there’s no escaping the feeling that all of the tales may have taken place, especially on All Hallow’s Eve.

The scene is set as I am take my seat in the Tetley basement for the play Book of Darkness and Light; an evening of ghoulish tales underneath what was once the largest brewery in the North of England followed.

The three tales were an enjoyable listen with the death of a man named Sedgwick kicking off this triple bill of darkness. The tale transfixed both myself and the rest of the audience as we sat enthralled by his descent into fear and untimely death.

Another tale revolved around a girl who died on the stairs but it’s the tales of despair within the roundhouse which really lit up the peeling paint and old piping for me. Whilst these were used for small crimes – people being drunk and disorderly – it’s the artistic licence Robinson uses with these houses, replacing hanging trees with the roundhouses for those accused of witchcraft, which grips the audience.
The colourful descriptions of unexplained deaths, exsanguination and women locked up inside these roundhouses thoroughly entertained the audience in this very intimate show.

Adam Z. Robinson, the writer and energetic storyteller, pulls us through the comings and goings of the three tales, some of which are supported by recordings. He sets the stage for the eerie tales and then delivers with style to the audience.

The Book of Darkness and Light combines gothic stories and is written and performed by Adam Z. Robinson all accompanied by a haunting musical score composed and performed by Ben Styles.

Using a variety of props the engaging storyteller finds a very different way to experience ghoulish tales; all of which really added to the atmosphere. Taking theatre and art off the stage and into real life situations gave this play a huge tick for me as it allowed the audience to engage with the stories more so than in a traditional theatre.

Funded by the Arts Council it was first conceived for Light Night Leeds 2015 and performed in the St John the Evangelist Church. Since September it has been visiting various venues including libraries, theatres and art spaces including The Square Chapel in Harrogate Library, Holy Trinity Church, York, before heading to the Tetley in Leeds on 31 October. It will continue its tour around the country.

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