Edith Nesbit play to be performed tomorrow at Marine Theatre

Haunted Shadows – The Gothic Tales of Edith Nesbit will be performed at the Marine Theatre on Friday, May 15, starring award-winning actress Claire Louise Amias as the celebrated writer.

The production delves into the eerie side of Edith Nesbit's literary legacy, presenting three of her ghost stories: A Strange Experience, The Pavilion, and The Shadow.

Claire Louise Amias. Photo by Diana Vucane (Image: Diana Vucane)

Jonathan Rigby, who directs the play, said: "Haunted Shadows presents audiences with a chilling selection of Edith Nesbit’s best short stories, together with some creepy autobiographical reminiscences of her own.

"The ingredients range from a formless entity that manifests itself in a brand-new house, a bloodsucking presence residing in a 16th-cenruty pavilion, and a deranged young woman kept in seclusion by her elder sisters.

"Add to these a battalion of desiccated mummies in a Bordeaux crypt and a powerhouse performance by Claire Louise Amias, and you have a uniquely effective one-woman show."

Mark Gatiss, known for The League of Gentleman, also praised the performance.

Mr Gatiss said: "Claire Louise Amias takes us into the dark heart of the legendary writer’s ghost stories – unexpected, wonderfully weird and with a very particular Edwardian atmosphere."

Edith Nesbit is best known for her classic children’s books, including The Railway Children, The Story of the Treasure Seekers, and Five Children and It.

She also wrote chilling tales like The Haunted Inheritance and Man-Size in Marble, as well as poetry and more than 60 children's titles.

Last year, Ms Amias won the Hamilton Deane Award for her portrayal of Nesbit, joining the ranks of past winners such as Mark Gatiss, Christopher Lee, and Benedict Cumberbatch.

She has also appeared in productions including Drop the Dead Donkey – The Reawakening, Alan Ayckbourn’s Damsels in Distress trilogy, and Woman of Twilight, in which The Guardian described her performance as "magnificent".

Theatre-goers can catch Haunted Shadows – The Gothic Tales of Edith Nesbit at the Marine Theatre in Lyme Regis at 7.30pm.

Tickets are available at the Marine Theatre website.