Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Elevated Halloween thrills: Engaging the sense in Manual Cinema’s THE 4TH WITCH and Audible Theater’s A GHOST IN YOUR EAR

• By drediman
• October 19, 2026
• No Comments

Move over Paranormal Activity, New Yorkers looking for elevated Halloween thrills have other (artful) options far from the bright lights of Broadway. Here are my thoughts on two shows that fully engage audiences’ senses to get them in the mood for the spooky season at hand.

A GHOST IN YOUR EAR
Audible Theater at Minetta Lane Theatre
Through December 12

First up at Minetta Lane Theatre is Audible Theater’s production of A Ghost in Your Ear (RECOMMENDED), a transfer from across the pond (where it played at London’s Hampstead Theatre). As written and directed by Jamie Armitage, the play depicts a sound studio recording of a gothic horror tale gone totally amuck; the less that I describe in detail about what transpires, the better. Like the folks behind Paranormal Activity on Broadway, I applaud Armitage’s attempt to bring genuine horror to live theater — certainly, the experience is a far cry from watching the exuberant musical Six The Musical, which Armitage also directed — and he’s largely succeeded. Integral to the experience is Ben and Max Ringham’s sound design, namely the use of headphones, which the audience wears during the show to immersive themselves in the sonic world of the live recording, and by extension the psyches of both the actor in the booth and the character he’s playing. Although not a complete novelty to me — similar aural technology has been utilized in the service of theater in such productions as Simon McBurney’s The Encounter and Ella Hickson’s Anna at the National Theatre — its use here brilliantly heightens the psychological horror of the tale at hand. And paired with Ben Jacobs’ meticulous lighting design, the result is a carefully-tooled spook machine designed to maximize the impact of the scares (of course, no spoilers here). Also adding to the tense atmosphere is Anisha Fields’ initially unassuming set and costume design, which also has a few surprises of their own. Aside from the state-of-the-art sound design, perhaps the most captivating aspect of the production is Lucas Iverson’s thrilling performance as the actor in the booth. It’s a slow-burning performance that skillfully morphs into a knotted ball of anxiety and terror. As the sound engineer with a secret of his own, Owen Campbell exudes a subtle creepiness that compliments Iverson’s inevitably mounting sense of dread. If there was a weak link, it would have to be the relatively generic underlying tale, which the fascinating framing device, excellent performances, and outstanding technical accomplishments more than mask while you’re in the theater witnessing it all unfold.

THE 4TH WITCH
Manual Cinema at NYU Skirball
Closed

Then just for a quick weekend run at NYU Skirball last week, Manual Cinema brought its beguiling production of The 4th Witch (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) to New York audiences ahead of Halloween. For more than two decades now, this Chicago-based troupe has been devising and presenting enchanting live handcrafted cinematic experiences to increasing acclaim. Its latest creation, a soulful and occasionally quirky riff on the Bard’s Macbeth follows in that trend and is an altogether impressive theatrical achievement. In this reworked version of “The Scottish Play”, the narrative is told from the perspective of a young girl whose family was a casualty of the war commandeered by the infamous Shakespeare villain. It’s been a few years since I’ve seen a Manual Cinema production, and I’m happy to report that the piece — devised by Drew Dir (who also directed the piece and came up with the concept), Sarah Fornace, and Julia Miller — represents a considerable step forward for the company. No, their technique and approach to their craft haven’t change, but their attention to detail and storytelling prowess have risen to another level of sophistication. Indeed, it’s no question that the company, with its singular presentational aesthetic, has emerged as one of the more exciting and artistically accomplished companies in the international puppet theater scene. As with much of their previous works, this one features a wonderfully evocative strings-and-voice-based score by Ben Kauffman and Kyle Vegter (the duo is also responsible for the immersive sound design work), which was beautifully played and sung live onstage, as well as a wide array of decidedly low-tech tools at its disposal to create breathtaking visual sequences — Dir is also responsible for the inspired storyboarding progression — that register as cinema, puppetry, and theater all at once. As always, one of the most fascinating aspects of Manual Cinema’s works is the opportunity for audiences to simultaneously view the final product projected above on a large screen, as well as the live creative process below. It’s a marvel to behold the extraordinary precision and collaboration needed to successfully pull off such a seamless live cinematic experience.