& CULTURE A tour de force I

T was the play that shocked audiences and caused critics to label it ‘an open drain’ and a ‘sore begging to be disinfected,’ but Henrik Ibsen’s Ghosts, written in 1882 went on to become a theatre classic.

And now it’s being performed in Huddersfield.

Modern-day audiences are unlikely to flinch from the work’s subject matter - incest, euthanasia, venereal disease and religion in quite the same way as their Victorian forebears, but the play remains a powerful exploration of human behaviour.

Huddersfield Thespians are tackling the brooding drama, which has moments of dark comedy, at the Lawrence Batley Theatre from Tuesday to Saturday, October 3 to 7.

It is, says director Lawrence Barker, “a play that shows a great understanding of the female mind.”

But anyone expecting to see a ghost story will be disappointed. The ‘ghosts’ Ibsen refers to in the title are what Lawrence describes as the “ghosts of happenings”.

He explained: “We’ve all had the feeling that something has happened before, a deja vu or groundhog day. Ibsen was looking at whether we can stop things recurring or happening again.”

The action of Ghosts takes place within the space of just a few hours and features five actors.

The lead character Helene Alving (played by experienced Thespian Prue Griffiths) is determined to escape the ghosts of the past by telling her son the truth about his cruel father. But will she be too late to stop him repeating the same mistakes?

Ghosts is a challenging play for an amateur company. The Thespians last produced it back in 1994, when Lawrence took an acting role.

“It’s a good play for the Lawrence Batley cellar theatre,” he says. “It’s very, very atmospheric and we’re going to intensify the drama with lighting effects.”

Among the cast members will be 18-year-old Huddersfield University student Mel Walton, a relative newcomer to the Thespians. She’ll be part of an experienced cast.

Ghosts opens the new season of amateur productions at the LBT. Tickets are £12 from thelbt. org.uk or 01484 430528.

Evening performances start at 7.15pm and there’s a matinee on Saturday.

It’s very, very atmospheric and we’re going to intensify the drama with lighting effects.