Ghost Walk – Poltergeist/New Diorama Theatre, London

A review of Ghost Walk, an experience from Poltergeist and New Diorama Theatre which does what it says on the tin! An entertaining way to explore central London and its history.

Ghost Walk

It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these. I saw c-o-n-t-a-c-t last year which was a blend of app-based theatre and live action. Blindness, which was a sound installation. Behind Closed Doors, which again involved live action but introduced an interactive element. This new offering, Ghost Walk, by Poltergeist and New Diorama Theatre, shows that outdoor, app-based theatrical experiences/audio walks continue to have a place in London’s cultural landscape. (And with the way the Covid situation is going right now, maybe this sort of project is a smart move.)

So, Ghost Walk. It is, in fact, a ghost walk. But not the sort you might be thinking of, where actors tell spooky stories and do a couple of jump scares. No, this is something much more modern, and more directly ghostly. I won’t give away too much of the story since the website doesn’t, but the premise is that the app you download for the walk allows ghosts to speak with you directly. The first ghost you hear is Mary, who sends you on a mission to round up other local ghosts for a party.

The app geo-locates you as you walk, so you hear each ghost tell their story and their message to Mary as you approach the spot where they died. It’s a neat tour around some of London’s historic backstreets, and the different layers of the city’s history. The group of ghosts spans millennia, and a range of different life experiences. It’s not too spooky so suitable for families (age 7+): rather, it walks the line somewhere between wry and touching.

London’s Ghosts

I joined Ghost Walk on its opening weekend. You start your experience in an office lobby in Finsbury Avenue Square, where you are greeted, offered a hot chocolate, and someone checks that you’ve managed to download the app and all your tech is working (BYO smart phone and headphones). You will have a particular time slot booked, but can then begin in your own time. Geo-locating apps can sometimes struggle with the tall buildings in this part of London, but everything worked well for me. Just one spot where two audio tracks played over each other, but easily resolvable.

You are also given a big sticker so that Ghost Walk staff can spot you if you get off track. You need to follow the map on the app to get from one ghost to the next. It’s relatively easy as it only covers a small area, but once or twice had me almost heading off in the wrong direction. The fault of my poor map reading of course rather than anything else. And one small tip: when you reach the furthest limit of the walk and start making your way back, it’s best to retrace your steps rather than taking a direct route. There’s a bit more content that way.

A Ghostly Party

So again I won’t give away too much, but Mary and her friends are an entertaining lot. Mary is voiced by Juliet Stevenson (who also voiced Blindness so is clearly in great demand for audio work). Amongst her friends are parts voiced by Lydia West, Nina Wadia and David Mumeni. The quality of the acting definitely makes the difference between a good audio experience and a poor one, and Ghost Walk falls firmly on the right side of this fence.

The other interesting aspect is the new perspective on London’s streets. Some of the places I visited were familiar from walks I’ve done, like Richard Serra’s Fulcrum, Tokenhouse Yard and Throgmorton Avenue which we saw when walking the Walbrook. Other places were brand new (to me) like Austin Friars, which was a great find and yielded the excellent ghost sign pictured above. Another sort of London ghost, I guess.

So I definitely recommend Ghost Walk for families, or for those who want to reconnect with the city’s history in a fun way. Audio walks/outdoor theatrical experiences continue to develop in interesting directions, and Poltergeist/New Diorama Theatre seem to have hit on a successful formula with this one.

Salterton Arts Review’s rating: 3.5/5

Ghost Walk should have various dates available after the official launch, keep an eye on updates here.