The Demon Lover

In medieval legend, a woman takes a lover, little realising that he is a demon and will bear her away to Hell. But 20th century demons come in surprising forms, animal as well as human, and with different genders and sexualities.

August 1916.

A woman swears eternal love to her soldier sweetheart. Soon afterwards, he is reported missing, presumed killed.

August 1941.

Bombed out London. 25 years later. The same woman returns to her vacant house. There’s a letter. It’s from her dead lover.

Elisabeth Bowen’s tale of guilt and retribution is a Classic.

Gabriel-Ernest

In Saki’s Gabriel-Ernest, a man meets a menacing and seductive young man, bathing naked in a pond. The next day he finds him in his drawing room. Still naked. Gosh! And to make matters worse, this young man seems to be a werewolf! An uncanny exploration of homoeroticism and violence in upper-class Edwardian society.

Jemima Puddleduck

Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Jemima Puddleduck is a harmless little children’s story that many of us know and love from childhood? Or is it a story of a vulnerable adult and a terrifying abuser?

Interwoven with songs from Folk and Blues traditions, and exploiting the extraordinary vocal range of solo performer Richard Spaul, The Demon Lover is a complex, provocative and fascinatingly disturbing performance.

Tales of the Uncanny: The Demon Lover

Directed, told and sung by Richard Spaul

Dates:
Friday 18 – Saturday 19 August, 2023
Time: 8:00pm
Venue: The Leper Chapel, Cambridge | Map
Tickets: £15 available in advance and from 7.30pm at the venue.