DARE at Baron's Court Theatre 28 - 31 October 2026
“a fascinating psychological debate on what really lurks within the dark”
The premise of Benjamin David Parson’s DARE is simple enough. One woman accepts a dare to spend the night in a haunted hotel room, and it becomes a psychological fight with herself to stay within its walls, which are crammed with bloody history. As the hours tick by, her mind begins to play tricks on her, every creak and knock heightens the paranoia, and time itself begins to turn against her.
The main character is Seren, played by Olivia Peacock. Throughout the course of the show, we watch as her perfectly crafted cool persona quickly crumbles and she becomes a fearful, anxious wreck as the hotel room that has become her prison cell begins to make her question whether she is truly alone. Her easy dismissals of the hauntings dissipate more and more with every passing hour, until by the end, she is no longer the same woman we met at the start.
Anastasia Sidorova plays her friend Jess, and the dynamic between the two of them reveals two different stories playing out. They both like the same boy and this dare will decide who ends up with him. However, it would seem the dare is for naught, as Seren is already dating Jacob, played by Joshua Batsford.
While the premise was initially gripping, I found some of the execution a tad lackluster. In the lead up to Halloween, I was hoping to watch something that would scare me. However, save for a few lighting cues and audio samples, I found myself left wanting. As an avid horror fan, I adore both the supernatural and psychological aspects of the genre, and I was hoping for a touch more of both within this story.
The cast gave it their all. Noteworthy was Carol Toomey as the hotel manager, who arrives at the end of the night to deliver some devastating news to the girls, and during her short appearance wonderfully delivers this frantic desperation as she tries to get Seren and Jess to join her downstairs.
Overall, I really enjoyed the premise of this play, and feel that with a touch more spookiness, it would make for a fascinating psychological debate on what really lurks within the dark; a ghost or a nightmare of the past?
Cast
Seren — Olivia Peacock
Jess — Anastasia Sidorova
Jacob — Josh Batsford
Receptionist — Carol Toomey
Creative team
Writer / Director / Producer — Benjamin Parsons
Assistant Producer — Eliza Mardlin
Assistant Director — Julie-Ann Gregory
Lighting Designer — Heenal Shah
Reviewer Laura King is a 28 year old aspiring writer of novels and plays. She studied Production Arts at Weston College before moving to London and finding work within the theatre industry with both ATG and DMT. She has previously found work as a life admin assistant to Olivier award winner Janie Dee, and has collaborated with her on such shows as Putting It Together and Janie Dee’s Beautiful World Cabaret
