With Halloween just around the corner, the air is getting chillier and a little bit creepier! If you’re anything like us and love a good scare, nothing compares to the thrill of live theatre to haunt your dreams (or your nightmares). Here’s a lineup of eerie performances to experience this season… if you dare.
Jon Ronson’s Psychopath Night 2025 | 16 Nov | Norwich Theatre Royal
What happens when a psychopath is in power? Could you learn to spot a psychopath? Are you working for a psychopath? Is there a little bit of psychopath in all of us?
This unmissable show prominently features mystery special guests whose extraordinary, twist-filled true tales are central to the story but not found in the original edition of the book. The less you know about them, the better…
The fright factor: Peek behind the charming mask of the modern psychopath and learn how they operate among us before it is too late!
Inspector Morse: House of Ghosts| 18 – 22 Nov | Norwich Theatre Royal
A chilling mystery unfolds when a young actress suddenly dies on stage during a performance, and Detective Chief Inspector Morse embarks on a gripping investigation. What begins as a suspicious death inquiry takes a darker turn when the legendary inspector, together with DS Lewis, uncovers a connection to sinister events in his own past, twenty-five years earlier.
The fright factor: A death in the theatre?! Sounds a bit close to home. Watch as Morse unravels the mystery… if you can handle the suspense.
2:22 A Ghost Story | 26 – 31 Jan | Norwich Theatre Royal
“THERE’S SOMETHING IN OUR HOUSE. I HEAR IT EVERY NIGHT, AT THE SAME TIME”
Jenny believes her new home is haunted, but her husband Sam isn’t having any of it. They argue with their first dinner guests, old friend Lauren and new partner Ben. Can the dead really walk again? Belief and scepticism clash, but something feels strange and frightening, and that something is getting closer, so they’re going to stay up… until 2:22… and then they’ll know.
The fright factor: The witching hour is calling. As the lights dim and the clock strikes, your heartbeat might be the only sound left in the room.
Uncanny: Fear of the Dark | 8 Mar | Norwich Theatre Royal
Are you scared of the dark, well, at least you can find comfort in not being the only one… Danny Robins explores why we, as humans, tend to fear the dark. Is it superstition, or bred from our evolution as cavemen, telling stories around the campfire? Maybe it is not the dark at all, but what is keeping itself from us in it.
Robins is back with a brand-new live show that investigates the most spine-tingling range of Uncanny stories yet, as the award-winning BBC paranormal podcast and TV series comes to thrilling, ghostly life on stage!
The fright factor: Step into the darkness, where whispers twist through the air and shadows take on a life of their own. Just don’t look behind you!
Midsomer Murders | 17 – 21 Mar | Norwich Theatre Royal
When well-loved spinster Emily Simpson is found dead in the picturesque village of Badger’s Drift, her friend Lucy Bellringer refuses to accept that it was an accident. DCI Tom Barnaby and Sergeant Gavin Troy are called in to investigate, uncovering a world of hidden passions, long-buried secrets and deadly rivalries.
The fright factor: The perfect mix of the English countryside and murder, where even roses have blood on their thorns.
Box Tale Soup presents: 1984 | 23 Mar | Norwich Theatre Playhouse
Big Brother strikes again in this new adaptation of Orwell’s dystopian classic, with a theatrical twist. Known for their ingenious sets and slick storytelling, Box Tale Soup’s unique puppetry becomes a striking metaphor for Orwell’s chilling vision of power and control.
The year is 1984, perhaps – it is impossible to tell for certain. We are being watched, Big Brother is everywhere, truth changes daily, and everyone conforms. But for Winston Smith, insignificant cog in the Party’s vast machine, this half-life is not enough. He dreams of freedom, but is he the only one? Dreams can be deadly when rebellion begins with a thought.
The fright factor: Oppression becomes art in this chilling vision where even your thoughts betray you, and the puppets might not be the only ones being controlled.
Death on the Nile | 5 – 9 May | Norwich Theatre Royal
On board a luxurious cruise under the heat of the Egyptian sun, a couple’s idyllic honeymoon is cut short by a brutal murder. As secrets that have been buried in the sands of time finally resurface, can the world-famous detective, Hercule Poirot, untangle the web of lies and solve another crime?
The fright factor: Exotic heat meets cold-blooded murder, watch as the passion curdles into peril and the waters of the nile hides deadly secrets.
And for your little monster …
There’s a Monster in Show | 1 – 2 May | Norwich Theatre Playhouse
A group of performers are preparing to start their show, but quickly discovers they are not alone on stage. Little Monster wants to be part of the fun, too! With an invitation to his friends, Dragon, Alien and Unicorn to join him, you can expect comedy and chaos as they help to create a magical show.
The fright factor: Not all monsters are scary. Perfect for little ghouls. The only shrieks here will be from laughter.
For more information or to book, visit norwichtheatre.org or call the Box Office on 01603 630 000.
