A Spirited Performance - The Book of Darkness & Light at the Albany

Darkness & Light Poster

The Book of Darkness & Light, performed at the Albany Theatre, 9 October 2025.

Review by David Court.

As the days grow shorter and the nights grow longer, and as the leaves fade to more muted hues, we draw closer to Halloween — that time of year when thoughts turn spectral. It’s also the season when local theatres showcase their darker, more chilling fare, and the Albany Theatre is no exception. This year, it hosted the fourth performance of The Book of Darkness & Light tour — ten years to the night since their very first show.

The telling of ghost stories is surely as old as language itself: a lone storyteller holding an audience captive by the fire with spine-tingling tales. This evening, we were treated to two such stories.

There are, of course, risks inherent in performing ghost stories live. A dull or meandering tale, however well delivered, will always fall flat — while an enthralling story told without charm or conviction loses all its power.

It was with a certain amount of trepidation, then, that I took my seat for Darkness & Light: Ghost Stories at the Albany. The stage was set simply: a table, a chair, a lantern. The atmosphere was thick with eerie ambient sounds — and then, a sudden, piercing shriek shattered the silence as our host, Adam Z. Robinson, stepped into the light clutching a bulky, ancient manuscript.

After a brief introduction — explaining the sinister origins of the tome and the dreadful duty he had been given — Robinson began the first of two tales. Without giving too much away, the first concerned strange investigations surrounding a village roundhouse, and the second a porcelain doll with a most unsettling past.

Any fears I had quickly vanished. Robinson is as skilled a writer as he is a performer. The audience, plunged into darkness, hung on his every word. Both tales were superlative — chilling, vivid, and utterly spellbinding. Robinson moved effortlessly between characters, voices, and mannerisms, inhabiting each story completely. Even this jaded horror fan was scared!

After the show, we met Robinson to congratulate him and pick up a signed copy of the accompanying book. If the two stories we heard are any indication, the collection promises to be just as captivating.

The Book of the Tour

I wholeheartedly recommend catching one of the remaining performances on this short tour. Darkness & Light offers a genuinely spine-chilling evening — one of the best Halloween shows I’ve seen in years.

For more information on the Book of Darkness & Light, click here. For information on the Albany Theatre, click here.