Review: THE WITCHING HOUR SOCIAL CLUB at Burbage Theatre Company
Production Runs through October 31st
When I heard Burbage had added a special Halloween show that they said was "largely inspired by classic horror anthologies like Creepshow, Tales from the Crypt, and of course, Are You Afraid of the Dark?" how can you not attend? And this show did not disappoint.
Horror is not always the easiest to convey on stage and we've seen plenty of shows that did not work as well as some that we will always remember. The Witching Hour Social Club definitely falls into the latter category.
Set at a campfire where old friends had decided to get the old Witching Hour Social Club back together after 15 years had passed from their high school days, we meet the group, but only two have shown up so far. While they wait for the rest of their old high school buddiers to show, they begin listening to old audio cassettes they had recorded decades ago when they were kids, where they each told stories to scare the crap out of everyone gathered around the fire. When each cassette begins to tell the tale, the scenes change as actors begin to act out the spooky tales. One memorable bit includes a company who raises people from the dead who died in debt, helping them to work out a plan to repay that debt instead of simply dying and having it forgiven. Another story had a group of kids plan a seance at the Sheppard Murder House and what unfolds there is not what you expect.
Playright James Lucey, of Fall River, MA said "I wrote Witching Hour Social Club because I wanted to see a play with a lot of fake blood and screaming. Something that was fun, maybe a little funny, but also something that was actually scary." he noted. "I wanted to make something distinct to the form of theatre that used the unique strengths of live performance to push the boundaries of horror. Or at least something with a lot of fake blood. Either way, Witching Hour Social Club is that play."
And Lucey has succeeded on all counts. There's plenty of blood and even more scares to go around, with the scariest part being that sometimes, those you know best could very well be the person you should fear the most.
The Witching Hour Social Club is a perfect 75-minute nugget of horror with no intermission that contains nearly twenty actors that each bring their own gift to the stage. Probably something better for teens and above as some of the content can be quite scary. I brought my own 17-year-old son to the show in hopes it would impact him as well and it did not disappoint. The conversations we had about the show and its many stories after the fact made me realize the show had impacted this teen where few other performances ever do. That, in and of itself, is worth the price of admission.
Whether you love to be scared or fear it, this awesome Halloween treat is something not to be missed. You may lose a little sleep over it but sleep is overrated anyway, right?
Photo by Maggie Hall
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