The Psychic – York Theatre Royal

Writers and Directors: Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman

Horror theatre has become big business in the 21st century, with shows such as The Woman in Black, 2:22 A Ghost Story and Ghost Stories touring to national acclaim and the delighted screams of fans across the country. Writers and directors of the latter, Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman, are back at it again with a new offering, The Psychic, which received its world premier in York, a city steeped in its own spooky history and famed for its ghosts. Following the success of their previous outing, The Psychic has a lot of expectations to live up to – so, does it?

Well, yes and no.

The show introduces audiences to Sheila Gold (Eileen Walsh), a disgraced TV psychic and tenth generation Dookeroo (aka fortune teller – there is a lot of fairground slang used in the show for the jossers – non-showpeople – in the audience. A handy glossary appears in the programme and foyer). She has recently lost a substantial amount of her fortune in a court case accusing her of fraud, and she needs to make it back quickly to assuage her own pride. So it’s very lucky that extremely rich couple Deepak (Jaz Singh Deol) and Nisha (Nikhita Lesler) have just turned up at her office, begging for help contacting their lost daughter…

The premise is fun, and the characters are well realised. Walsh is effortlessly engaging, ably walking the line between fraudster and showman. She plays emotion very well, showcasing a wide range of personalities and complexity to the character of Sheila. Her niece Tara (Megan Placito) is also an interesting watch, although it is a shame that the bolshy personality we see from her at the start is quickly cowed, never to quite return to that same fieriness, even when the plot could demand it. Placito is a newer actress and, despite some teething trouble with accents, she is one to watch in the future. Sheila’s Mother Rosa (Frances Barber) is also fascinating, and their relationship and conflicts form a core part of the show.

Unfortunately, the plot is rather predictable, and seems to want to say a lot without actually saying much. It never quite commits to fortune telling as a real talent or total hokum. For a show billed as ‘bringing thrills, laughs and shocks back to the stage’ there is a heavy reliance on loud noises and jump scares, something Ghost Stories was also accused of, and which often are more confusing than shocking. There is no subtlety in the spooky, and the final few minutes of the show especially feel trite and unnecessary. There’s the gem of a good show there, speaking about generational trauma and complex parent-child emotions in the fairground community, but even as it is an enjoyable watch, the need to make it scary takes away from this potential. The stage energy often feels flat and there are some odd directorial choices and missed development opportunities, such as when actors break character to slowly exit in the scene change after an emotional argument, or a physical fight where the injury doesn’t match the attack.

Where The Psychic does not misstep however is in Rae Smith’s sets and Zoe Spurr’s lighting design. Gorgeous hand painted backdrops use forced perspective and interactive elements to evoke an uncanny valley feel to the locations. Lights gently dim and flicker as time and situations progress. The stage transforms from small, intimate spaces to wide imposing offices and even a whole Spanish villa. Each scene looks breath-taking, and deserves the accolades they are sure to receive.

The audience did respond well to The Psychic, and this world premiere received a majority standing ovation at the end, so it must be a good night out. While this reviewer was left wanting either more from the spook factor or a tighter, more focused plot, she was impressed by the actors and the visual feast the evening offered. If you enjoyed Ghost Stories, it is worth catching The Psychic too – just don’t expect it to be more than it is.

Runs until 23rd May 2026