REVIEW: THE DEVIL'S PUNCHBOWL @ THE HOPE THEATRE

🎭 The Devil's Punchbowl

📍 The Hope Theatre, 207 Upper Street, Islington, London, N1 1RL

🗓 Saturday 31st October 2026

⭐️ 4 Stars

GOTHIC DREAD IN CLOSE QUARTERS

Last night London was busy and buzzing as Halloween fever gripped the city. I made my way onto the heaving underground and headed to Islington, in search of a proper fright. As I headed up those narrow stairs at The Hope Theatre, I was full of anticipation for what I was about to watch.

The setup of THE DEVIL'S PUNCHBOWL is best described as deliciously modern-meets-gothic. We follow Olivia, a hopelessly needy, clout-chasing Gen-Z true-crime podcaster who has dragged her equipment, her fragile ego, and her ex-boyfriend, out to a house that has been abandoned since the 1990s, to record her next big hit. She’s investigating a decades-old mystery involving a damaged videotape and a deeply messed-up family history. What starts as a desperate bid for relevance quickly spirals into a claustrophobic nightmare as the past refuses to stay buried. Jamie Rycroft and Thomas Willshire have penned a script that beautifully skewers our modern obsession with true crime while feeding us pure, unadulterated folk horror.

Director Joey Burford orchestrates the tension here like an absolute maestro. Staging horror in a room this intimate is a massive gamble because there’s nowhere for the actors to hide, and no big-budget CGI to save you. But Burford masterfully turns that tight space into an absolute weapon.

The atmospheric design is staggering, with the lighting and sound teams doing superb work. It's no secret that I adore and appreciate some good technical theatre, especially in a fringe space. We are plunged into total, suffocating blackouts where you can literally hear the person next to you holding their breath. Single, flickering torches are used to carve out eerie shadows, and the sound design builds this low, rumbling dread that rattles right through your seat before hitting you with jump scares that genuinely work.

And the cast were utterly superb. Bronwyn Elizabeth is a total standout as Olivia. She captures that grating, self-absorbed, "don't forget to like and subscribe" podcaster energy so perfectly that you’re almost rooting for the ghosts to get her! Yet she anchors the terror so beautifully when things go south, and injects so much believability into the character and her relationship with alcohol.

Tom Hartwell pulls off an absolute masterclass in a dual role, playing twin brothers Timothy and James. The sheer versatility it takes to switch between these two distinct, damaged energies in a space this small is fantastic. How he plays the characters as both children and adults is a real masterclass in performance, and he manages to ground the play's tragic emotional core effortlessly.

Then we have Nesba Crenshaw as the ghostly Dr Amelia Harbinger, who is genuinely terrifying. Every time she holds the stage, the temperature in the room feels like it drops five degrees. She is unhinged, commanding, and delivers the kind of chilling, matriarchal menace that will haunt my dreams for a week.

My only criticism is that the pacing drags just a teeny bit in the middle, with Olivia's solo scene feeling slightly longer than it needed to be, but honestly, when a fringe show delivers this much atmospheric bite, great acting, and genuine, spine-chilling fun, you can't help but love it. It’s a gorgeous, spooky treat.

THE DEVIL'S PUNCHBOWL is a total spooky season triumph. It’s tight, it’s creepy, and it understands exactly how to mess with your head. Performances have now concluded, but keep an eye out for any future performances of this Halloween hit.

Neill Kovacic-Clarke

All views are my own and I pride myself on being honest, fair and free from influence. Theatre is subjective and it is important to remember that all views expressed are just those of one person.

My ticket for this performance of The Devil's Punchbowl was gifted by Jamie Rycroft, who invited me to watch the show in exchange for my honest review. The fact that my ticket was gifted played no part in the content of my review or the star rating given.

CAST:

Bronwyn Elizabeth as Olivia; Tom Hartwell as Timothy / James; Nesba Crenshaw as Dr Amelia Harbinger; Thomas Willshire as Dave

CREATIVES:

Co-Writer / Producer - Jamie Rycroft; Co-Writer / Producer - Thomas Willshire; Director - Joey Burford; Composer and Sound Designer - Marius van der Bas

RUNNING TIME (approx):

1 hour 10 minutes, with no interval

CONTENT WARNINGS:

Blackouts; Jump scares; Blood imagery; Violence; References to abuse and murder; Alcohol addiction

AGE GUIDELINE:

18+

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