The Graveyard Slot

Putting a 1930s radio play onstage is the unlikely premise behind this slight but entertaining show from the all-female Hecate Theatre Company.

The six performers use a keyboard, two microphones and a variety of rudimentary sound effects to tell their 50-minute “tale of ghosts and ghoulies”.

Their story whisks the audience away to join Janet de Bastion, an aristocratic sort who has returned home for her birthday accompanied by a group of friends. The home in question is her family’s country pile where sinister events are (inevitably) unfolding. The action takes in everything from secret passages and spiritualists, to mad scientists and mysterious caves – leaving no cliché of the genre unplumbed.

The group also find time for a few spoof cigarette adverts and even a quick song.

While the plot is fun in a preposterous Nancy Drew kind of way, most of the enjoyment comes from the dazzling array of everyday objects used to make the sound effects. Slinkies, a balloon pump, tin foil and a Fringe programme are just a few of the items expertly waved, hit and manhandled to create the soundscape.

The cast read from scripts which both reinforces the radio play concept and means the actors don’t need to learn their lines. Sadly there are still a few stumbles along the way and little vocally to differentiate between some of the minor characters. This has the effect of muddying proceedings somewhat, but The Graveyard Slot is still well worth tuning into.