A pleasing terror

This December, 101 years after their first publication, two of his eeriest and most entertaining Christmas ghost stories will be brought to life, close to the very places where they were originally conceived and performed.

In the early 20th century, James was Provost of King’s College, Director of the Fitzwilliam Museum and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge during the First World War. Performances of two of his tales will take place this winter in the Fitzwilliam Museum Founder's Library and the Corpus Playroom.

A young Cambridge antiquary discovers the dark side of manuscript illumination in ‘Canon Alberic’s Scrap-book’, set in a medieval town in the French Pyrenees. In ‘The Mezzotint’, a ghoulish revenge is enacted within a work of art, before the helpless eyes of a museum curator.

The two venues for the performances are closely associated with the author. The Corpus Playroom is within sight of King’s College, where James first performed the stories to friends at Christmas. Weekend matinees will be performed in the beautiful and atmospheric Founder’s Library of the Fitzwilliam Museum – James’ office when he was Director there. Rarely open to the public, the dark corners and book lined walls of this marvellous interior may well have inspired his antiquarian spine chillers.

‘A Pleasing Terror’ has been produced and will be performed by Robert Lloyd Parry of the Nunkie Theatre Company, an experienced actor who also wrote and provided the voice for the ‘Cambridge Illuminations’ audioguide at the Fitzwilliam Museum.

Performances will take place on December 3, 4, 10 and 11 at 3.30 pm in the Fitzwilliam Museum Founder’s Library and from December 7 to 10 at 7.30 pm at The Corpus Playroom, St Edward’s Passage.

Tickets are £6 or £4 for concessions and are available from the Arts Theatre Box Office on 01223 503333.