New Enfield Poltergeist Play Set To Star Comedian Catherine Tate
July 16, 2023 1:00 AM
This article is more than one year old.
British comedian and actress Catherine Tate is set to headline a new West End play based around the legendary Enfield poltergeist incident, renowned for being one of the most unnerving real-life paranormal cases in the UK.
The play's plot revolves around the chilling experiences of the Hodgson family in their seemingly ordinary house, located at 284 Green Street, Enfield. The home, which over time has earned the title of the UK's most famous haunted house, was an epicentre of paranormal activity between August 1977 and October 1978. Poltergeist activity occurred with chilling regularity, making national headlines.
The Enfield case drew paranormal investigators, mediums, journalists and the intrigued public to the Hodgson household like moths to a flame. Throughout the period, more instances of paranormal activity were witnessed and logged than any other haunting in recorded history. This resulted in the Enfield case ascending to the position of one of the most extensively documented paranormal incidents of its kind.
Written by Paul Unwin, the play is based around one exceptionally unnerving night at the house. Catherine is set to portray Peggy Hodgson, a single mother who, over a course of 14 months, endured a tormenting ordeal along with her four children, seemingly instigated by a poltergeist. Peggy's 16-year-old daughter, Janet, was believed to be possessed and was even reportedly observed levitating six feet in the air by a local lollipop lady, adding further intrigue to the tale.
'The Enfield Haunting' boasts an impressive cast that includes David Threlfall, famed for his role in 'Shameless', who will play the part of Maurice Grosse. At the time, Maurice was one of the Society for Psychical Research's (SPR) newest members, and one of the principal investigator during the real-life event.
In anticipation of her role, Catherine expressed her excitement, "I'm thrilled to be part of 'The Enfield Haunting' and can't wait to start working with the first-class creative team and the brilliant David Threlfall."
David reciprocated Tate's enthusiasm, stating, "I'm delighted to be reuniting with director Angus Jackson and working for the first time with the amazing Catherine Tate on Paul Unwin's version of the UK's most famous incident of psychological inhabitation, 'The Enfield Haunting,' in 1977."
To ensure a genuine representation, Paul spent significant time with Guy Lyon Playfair, another member of the SPR. Guy was the first investigator to set foot in the haunted house, making 180 visits in total, including 25 overnight vigils. His 1980 book, 'This House Is Haunted', has helped establish the Enfield case as the best documented poltergeist haunting of all time.
Paul shared some insights about his conversation with Guy, revealing, "What Guy told me was terrifying. So much of what appears to have happened was impossible to fake and yet at the centre of the whole thing were real people trying to make sense of their lives."
This legendary poltergeist case has been retold before, most notably in the 2015 Sky miniseries starring Timothy Spall, and as the subject of 'The Conjuring 2'.
'The Enfield Haunting' is set to open at the Brighton Theatre Royal and Richmond Theatre before transferring to The Ambassadors Theatre in London for a limited West End season from November 30, 2023 to March 2, 2024. The play’s premiere will take place in Brighton on Tuesday, November 14.
ATG Theatre Card Holders will be able to purchase tickets from 10am on Thursday, July 13 at the official website enfieldhauntingplay.com, with general ticket sales commencing from 12pm. The production promises to offer a spine-chilling, captivating experience, revisiting one of the most haunting chapters in UK's history of paranormal activities.
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