📍The Glitch Theatre, London

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

I’d never been to The Glitch in Waterloo before – and what a perfect introduction with this hilarious offering from Bag of Beard Theatre. There is always something exciting about leaving the bar area, slipping behind a velvet curtain and down some stairs to have a theatre revealed to you for the first time. And The Highgate Vampire certainly fits in at The Glitch: an appropriately eerie atmosphere is immediately established through the basement theatre’s shabby-chic aesthetic and provides the perfect setting for this dark comedy.

Bishop Patrick Sheffield takes the stage and thanks the audience for coming to his lecture on his investigation regarding the infamous Highgate Vampire before being interrupted by Daniel Farringdon – a shaman (but tobacconist by day), who is here to provide his own findings on the matter. The two couldn’t be more opposite; Sheffield is unwaveringly serious while Farringdon clearly enjoys a flare of theatrics in his own recounts. Together though, they share their respective investigations into the mysterious happenings in Highgate cemetery: the work of the Highgate Vampire. For the hour-long piece we are taken back into 1970 and to the beginning of their investigations as both hobby-vampire hunters recall their findings to help them piece together the mystery of what exactly went bump in the night in Highgate cemetery. This is all done through hilarious soap-style re-enactments, catchy songs, and even a séance.

Writers Alexander Knott and James Demaine who also play Sheffield and Farringdon have struck the perfect balance between creepy and comedy here. The Highgate Vampire is a laugh-a-minute show, but deals with the eerier moments with equal conviction (the final moments are brilliant!). The premise of a lecture which Sheffield desperately tries to keep as a dignified and academic event makes for comedy gold, as recounts of eye-witnesses to the vampire become more farcical. Director Ryan Hutton makes clever use of the intimate space of The Glitch, setting the action in the round and seamlessly shifting between re-enactments of eye witness accounts and back to the one-upping antics of Sheffield and Farringdon. The clever premise helps to ground the minimalist performance space which in turn allows them to organically address the audience throughout, with brief moments of audience interaction adding to the comedy.

There is a lot to love about this show, but the glue is definitely the comedic chemistry between Knott and Demaine, both in their writing and acting. They form the perfect odd-couple as Sheffield’s unyielding and uptight nature is constantly tested by Farringdon’s flamboyance. I would watch a whole series of these two solving mysteries together. Mention must also be made of Zöe Grain as ‘Audrey the Operator’ (and actual technical operator) – a hilarious and meta addition to the show.

As far as comedy duos on offer, Alex Knott and James Demaine’s double act stands with with the very best: The Highgate Vampire is a perfect crossover between horror and comedy – with enough of both to satisfy a fan of either genre. It’s fun, camp and refreshingly original in its concept. Now, I need to spend the evening deep-diving the true story of the Highgate vampire…

The Highgate Vampire plays at the Glitch Theatre until 5th May

Tickets and information: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/vaultcreativearts