Inside No. 9: Stage/Fright – theatre spin-off is 'all-encompassing fun'
Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith bring their darkly comic BBC series to the stage

Over nine series and 55 episodes, "Inside No. 9" became a TV phenomenon, said Sarah Crompton on What's on Stage. Written by and starring Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith, this darkly comic BBC TV anthology series was made up of 30-minute-long stand-alone vignettes that, with their combination of the eerie and the absurd, "sit somewhere between 'Hancock's Half Hour' and 'The Twilight Zone'". The series finally came to an end last year, making this spin-off the duo's "final hurrah". "Stage/Fright" is not as "groundbreaking" or radical as the TV show, but it is "great, all-encompassing fun" – and, owing to the TV original's legions of devoted fans, it is already sold out in the West End. However, a nationwide tour will surely follow at some point.
This is an "end-of-the-pier show meets Grand Guignol, a fond farewell meets Michael Frayn-ish metatheatre", said Dominic Maxwell in The Sunday Times. It "gives you the willies one moment and makes you giggle the next" – and is as packed "with ideas as anything on the London stage". Superbly acted by its two creators and a small supporting cast, and deftly directed by Simon Evans, the show features, in its first half, a reworking of one of the TV episodes, "Bernie Clifton's Dressing Room", about a comedy double act reuniting after 30 years; the second half, set partly in a Victorian asylum, is "even better". And the jokes, scares and illusions come thick and fast from the start: the "remember to switch off your phone" warning may be "the greatest, certainly the bloodiest, yet staged".
I was disappointed, said Clive Davis in The Times. Given the talent involved, the show is surprisingly uninventive; the dialogue is lacklustre; and much of it feels recycled. It may be best regarded as an "add-on collectible", rather than "a stand-alone pleasure", said Dominic Cavendish in The Daily Telegraph, and perhaps the "spiralling tricksiness eclipses the emotional impact"; but it's a satisfying piece of theatre nonetheless: audacious, ingenious, clever and fun. "Bravo."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Wyndham's Theatre, London WC2. Until 5 April
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Does depopulation threaten humanity?
Talking Points Falling birth rates could create a 'smaller, sadder, poorer future'
-
New White House guidance means federal employees could be hearing more religious talk at work
The Explainer Employees can now try to persuade co-workers of why their religion is 'correct'
-
Real-life couples creating real-deal sparks in the best movies to star IRL partners
The Week Recommends The chemistry between off-screen items can work wonders
-
Aysegul Savas' 6 favorite books for readers who love immersive settings
Feature The Paris-based Turkish author recommends works by Hiromi Kawakami, Virginia Woolf, and more
-
Book reviews: 'The Mission: The CIA in the 21st Century' by Tim Weiner and 'The Aviator and the Showman: Amelia Earhart, George Putnam, and the Marriage That Made an American Icon' by Laurie Gwen Shapiro
feature
-
The Coldplay kiss cam affair: a cautionary tale
In the Spotlight The pair became 'the most googled people on the planet' after getting caught having an affair at a Coldplay concert
-
Connie Francis: superstar of the early 1960s pop scene
In the Spotlight The 'Pretty Little Baby' and 'Stupid Cupid' singer has died aged 87
-
Friendship: 'bromance' comedy starring Paul Rudd and Tim Robinson
The Week Recommends 'Lampooning and embracing' middle-aged male loneliness, this film is 'enjoyable and funny'
-
6 head-turning homes for town house living
Feature Featuring a roof deck with city views in South Carolina and a renovated Harlem brownstone in New York City
-
Bookish: delightful period detective drama from Mark Gatiss
The Week Recommends 'Cosy crime' series is a 'standout pleasure' in an Agatha Christie-style formula
-
Music Reviews: Justin Bieber, Wet Leg, and Clipse
Feature "Swag," "Moisturizer," and "Let God Sort Em Out"