There’s something deliciously unsettling about a production that asks you to trust absolutely no one – and with The Psychic, York Theatre Royal once again opens its stage to more thrilling storytelling as Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman return following the global success of Ghost Stories.
A world premiere in York, audiences entered expecting another chilling supernatural ride, and from the moment Sheila Gold’s name hung proudly centre stage, the intrigue had already begun.
Yet rather than plunging straight into suspense, The Psychic cleverly misleads its audience. The eerie atmosphere we had preconceived is quickly cast aside for a surprisingly funny psychic stand-up routine, drawing believers and sceptics alike into Sheila’s world, before slowly allowing the cracks to appear beneath the surface.
As candles flicker and facades begin to fade, Dyson and Nyman’s writing reveals its greatest strength: an ability to slowly unravel a story whilst constantly keeping the audience guessing. Twists appear sharply, whilst the slow-burning narration simmers away in the background like the candles scattered throughout the production. As audiences are urged following the curtain call to keep the secrets of The Psychic, all that can really be said is expect the gloriously unexpected.
At the centre of it all is Eileen Walsh as our Sheila Gold, who appears to barely leave the stage. Walsh gives a captivating performance filled with both wealth and weariness; balancing Sheila’s polished relationship with her paying audience against the far more fractured ones she shares with those closest to her. It’s purposeful throughout, never fully revealing what lies beneath the surface, allowing flashes of deception, vulnerability and self-pity to rise.
Making her professional debut, Megan Placito impresses as Tara, desperate for an opportunity to learn from Sheila, to make her her Ooja, much to Sheila’s dismay. Strong-willed but emotionally bubbling away beneath the surface, Placito gives a convincing performance throughout. I particularly enjoyed her chemistry with Jaz Singh Deol’s Deepak, whose double act with Nikhita Lesler’s Nisha brought further entertainment to the more emotionally charged moments. Placito transformed throughout the narrative, much to the audiences’ delight. After all, who doesn’t love an underdog?
And whilst Tara may be determined, Frances Barber’s Rosa perhaps steals the title for sheer force. As Rae Smith’s cleverly designed set reveals Rosa’s tin-can home, resentment and betrayal seem to ricochet around its walls. The set design throughout, paired with Zoe Spurr’s lighting, helped elevate the quality of the production, creating atmosphere even in moments where very little was happening.
The transitions between scenes also included some inventive staging choices, particularly heading into the second act. However, they didn’t always feel entirely smooth. In a production where pauses, silence and stillness are so key to building suspense, there were moments where the stop-start pacing lost momentum slightly rather than heightening it.
And whilst The Psychic deserves huge credit for remaining genuinely unpredictable, something increasingly rare within modern thrillers, the journey itself often felt stronger than the final destination.
Still, Dyson and Nyman once again prove themselves experts of psychological storytelling, creating a production that constantly keeps its audience on edge whilst exploring deception, grief, family ties and the desperate human need to believe in something bigger than ourselves.
The Psychic may not leave every audience member completely haunted, but it will certainly leave them talking long after the candles have burnt out.
Showing at York Theatre Royal until Saturday 23 May, tickets are available from £15 here.
