REVIEW: THE DUSK REALM at Old Red Lion Playhouse 16 October 2026
“The central concept is inventive, the audience interaction works brilliantly, and, most importantly, Laury is a genuinely funny and engaging performer.” ★★★★
Forget ghosts, ghouls and things that go bump in the night. Sometimes the most terrifying experience imaginable is accidentally jumping the queue in a coffee shop and being publicly shamed for it. Or forgetting your friend’s girlfriend’s name and becoming a social pariah as a result. Welcome to THE DUSK REALM, where the horrors are mundane, the consequences catastrophic, and embarrassment is a fate worse than death.
Written and performed by Jonathan Laury, this delightfully daft solo show takes its inspiration from the television horror anthologies of yesteryear. Seated in a chair, drink in hand, clad in a Victorian smoking jacket, Laury adopts the persona of a mysterious horror host, ready to regale us with tales of unspeakable terror. But instead of supernatural encounters and macabre murders, his stories explore the everyday anxieties and social faux pas that most of us would rather avoid.
It’s a great premise, and Laury has a natural aptitude for comedy, with a wonderfully expressive face, exaggerated gravitas and an impeccable sense of the ridiculous. The contrast between his portentous delivery and the spectacularly trivial nature of his stories provides some of the evening’s biggest laughs.
Audience participation is integral to THE DUSK REALM. Unsuspecting spectators are recruited to manage props, provide sound effects, and generally assist in keeping the wheels turning. There’s something immensely appealing about Laury’s approach to audience interaction. Rather than treating the audience as fodder to be humiliated for laughs, he brings them into the performance, creating a playful, inclusive atmosphere in which everyone feels part of the joke.
The staging is minimal and elegant: a table, a chair, a handful of props and Laury. Lighting and music are used sparingly but effectively, proving crucial to several jokes, particularly the opening sequence. Sound effects are largely delivered through recording buttons or obliging audience members, adding to the production’s charm.
There’s also an intelligence beneath the silliness. Laury peppers his material with cultural references and recognisable social situations, trusting his audience to understand the jokes without having everything laboriously explained. Laury is an oddly mesmerising presence, confident in his craft and relaxed enough to embrace the unexpected when things don’t go according to plan.
As a work in development, THE DUSK REALM is still finding its feet. Much of the material is fresh, and while repetition often builds the absurdity, not every recurring gag works. For example, after each tale, Laury piles another random hat onto his head, including a green beanie with yellow eyes and a silver sequinned Santa hat. It’s a joke that’s never explained and never quite lands. A little judicious trimming would sharpen the pacing and allow the strongest comic moments to shine.
The central concept is inventive, the audience interaction works brilliantly, and, most importantly, Laury is a genuinely funny and engaging performer. His ability to command a room with little more than a button, Mickey Mouse boxer shorts and flair is impressive.
With further development, THE DUSK REALM has the potential to become a startlingly original show. Laury takes the familiar television horror-host format in an unexpected direction, replacing supernatural terrors with everyday social anxieties to create something smart, whimsical, and refreshingly unpretentious.
After all, who needs supernatural monsters when the prospect of an everyday social encounter is quite terrifying enough?
Box Office: https://weareoldred.co.uk/whats-on/grimfest/the-dusk-realm/
Written and performed by Jonathan Laury.
Annie Power is a London-based playwright, screenwriter, producer and theatre reviewer. Her work has been staged at venues across London, including Soho Theatre and The Old Red Lion Playhouse, and she won Best Writer at Underwire Film Festival. She is also the Founder and Artistic Director of Open Page Productions.
@anniesrpower
