Continuing our love of unusual plays, we were looking forward to a trip to one of our small local theatres. The Stables Theatre, converted from an old stable block, which was due to be demolished, in 1952. Expanding over the years to now include a gallery and bar area, it is still an intimate theatre with just 126 seats.

We were anticipating the play, WAX, about the infamous murderer, John George Haigh, known as the “acid bath murderer”, would be a tense and thrilling story.

John Haigh was convicted and sentenced to hang in August 1949 and the play revolves around him and his final weeks in his cell. Madame Tussaud’s having commissioned a wax work of him to be displayed in the Chamber of Horror after his execution, sends a young sculptress to visit him to take measurements and sketches. During her visits he reveals that he had mistakenly believed that, if the bodies could not be found, a murder conviction would not be possible. He chillingly describes how he had placed his victims in vats of sulphuric acid to dissolve their bodies. Despite the absence of his victims’ bodies, there was sufficient forensic evidence for him to be convicted for the murders and he would subsequently be executed.

Over the course of her five visits, he manipulates her into believing he was not of sound mind when he committed his crimes. As she is not a believer in the death penalty she is persuaded to plead a case for clemency to the governor.

She is however unsuccessful, but continues with her job of creating her wax work. On her last visit, she brings her work to show Mr Haigh. He is less than pleased with her work and she realises that he has been playing mind games with her in an attempt to control how he will be portrayed in the Chamber of Horrors.

It seems inconceivable that a young woman would be left alone in the cell of a convicted serial killer. But it was the 1940’s and could have happened.

There is little remorse for his actions, and a little physical violence as his anger erupts. A dark, tense play, displaying the murderers fear of, not only his impending execution, but more,  how he would be perceived through the wax work. It makes you wonder whether the death penalty should have remained a sentence for people who commit such heinous crimes. As he finally accepts his fate and the young lady leaves his cell for the final time, the stage lights extinguish to a large exhale of breathe from the audience, followed by rapturous applause.

Leaving the auditorium we met the two local actors, one being the niece of friends and the other an old school pal of my husbands. Their enthusiasm and gratitude for our support, reminds us why we love local theatre.

The production moves on to the small Waterloo East Theatre, in London, which will hopefully be fabulous for their careers.

A truly local story, as John Haigh spent some of his life in our lovely town and the True Crime Museum along our seafront, still exhibits some of the “tools” of his crimes.