The Monkey’s Paw, written by W.W. Jacobs and first published in 1902, is one of the best-known short stories in the macabre/horror genre. It has certainly stood the test of time and is to be found in most thoughtful compilations of stories of the strange and frightening. It has been adapted many times, including plays, films, TV series, operas, stories and comics; the first treatment was as early as 1903.
Such a classic tale can easily be presented on stage in its purest form, without significant changes, and it would draw an audience, especially in the Halloween season.
Infinite Space Theatre has taken a slightly different approach. Their production, directed by Leah Townley, is a reimagining of the standard treatment of the story, with much more emphasis being given to the backstory of the protagonists, John and Jenny White, and a significantly different re-evaluation of their exposure to the horrors and tragedy emanating from their relationship with The Monkey’s Paw.
The original story is an unsettling and occasionally shocking cautionary tale about the dangers of desire and the unforeseen consequences of following one’s wishes. Running through the narrative is the unspoken assertion that the unfettered appetite for gratification can lead to appalling outcomes. In short, be careful what you wish for. The core of Jacobs’s novella lies in the vicissitudes of fate, the limits of human control, and the moral implications of interfering with destiny, told through the appearance of a mystical object that grants the Whites three wishes, with dire, devastating repercussions.
Opening with a cataclysmic denouement, the production then instantly whisks us back, via a series of well-executed vignettes, to the beginning of John and Jenny White’s relationship; they meet, fall in love, marry, create a home together, expect a child and generally try to live life as best they can in a dark and dingy South London Street.
This is a wordless but well observed resume of their life up to the point of the arrival of The Paw, full of emotional detail, giving the audience a sense of the life they’ve built, what they’ve lost, and what they hope for, before the intervention of the supernatural agency that comes back with John from his job as a storeman at The British Museum.
The stage is excellently designed, perfectly evoking a modest Edwardian cottage, with assorted drapes and curtains, a dresser, sewing machine and full washing lines. The lighting is aptly subdued and helps to create an appropriately eerie atmosphere.
Both actors in this two-hander excel in their characterisations.
Steven Maddocks captures John’s thwarted professional ambition and the destruction of his hopes of social and economic advancement in a convincing and plausible manner. His assertion that “I want everything to be perfect” is doomed, and the realisation of this, together with the recognition of his growing estrangement from his wife, and his inability to provide for them both, is acutely and sensitively portrayed.
Josephine Rogers is equally strong as Jenny. Her varying moods, as the Whites’ financial circumstances change, are clearly and sensitively delineated. In particular, the transformation from a clear-sighted housewife, very aware of the economic straits within which she has to operate, to a woman emotionally dislocated by her miscarriage, and transferring her deep loss to a ragdoll which transmogrifies into her much longed-for child, is both chilling and moving in equal measure. An assured performance.
The scenes that show the distance gradually coming between them as Jenny mourns being childless, whilst John obsesses over the mummified remains of the child found in the display at the British Museum, are subtly and poignantly delivered.
Infinite Space Theatre’s reinterpretation of this famous story has a number of challenges to overcome. Not least of which is the refocusing of the plot upon John and Jenny’s backstories and developing relationship.
Such a narrative pivot necessitates a retelling of the storyline with a much greater emphasis upon the Whites themselves, and less attention to the supernatural intensity of the story. This leads to a script that throws in too many complications, subplots and differing locations for the key plotline to handle, resulting in a sense of confusion that dilutes the ability of the production to chill and horrify.
The alternative story of the origin of the Monkey’s Paw and how it came into John’s possession, John’s war service, and Jenny’s story of a infant death drawn from her own childhood are all included to give some heft and background substance to the nature of the Whites’ relationship and their suffering, but are somewhat thrown into the story in a disjointed manner and ultimately hinder, rather than elucidate and progress, the narrative. In short, the pudding is over-egged.
The interpretation and treatment of Herbert, the Whites’ “son,” lacks defined clarity. The “child” is made from cloth to whom Jenny becomes dangerously overattached. When she wishes for the boy to be real, he reemerges as a rather terrifying-looking puppet, suddenly biting John’s hand at breakfast, and occasionally calling spookily out to his “mama,” but otherwise remaining inert and lifeless.
Is Herbert an inanimate object that really comes to life, a Chucky-like devil doll reanimated by Jenny’s desperate desire for a child? Or is this scenario entirely playing out in Jenny’s mind?
Such ambiguity at the heart of the narrative unfortunately adulterates the sense of horror that the story’s climax relies on and mitigates the visceral horror of its denouement. Who or what is knocking at the door in the final moments, the returned ghost of a well-loved son, or a mere projection of Jenny’s grief in the form of a rag doll? Such uncertainty diminishes the impact of the ending and is unsatisfying.
Similarly, the optimistic coda at the conclusion of the play only obfuscates the essential message and blunts what should be the visceral sharpness of the denouement.
This is a shame, as there is much to enjoy in Intimate Space Theatre’s staging of this classic work, and the team are to be commended for attempting to look at a famous supernatural story in a new and refreshing way. At many points in the production, a genuinely eerie, chilling, unsettling atmosphere is created, but the overall inherent power of the macabre is diluted and weakened at key moments by plot deviation.
Those looking for a satisfyingly spooky night out will not be disappointed, even though the overwhelming impression at the end of this production is that, like The Monkey’s Paw itself, some things are better left alone…
Review by Johnny Oxford
In your darkest hour, what would you wish for?
In Edwardian London, newlyweds John and Jenny White set up home together. They look forward to a happy and prosperous life, their home echoing with the laughter of their children.
As the years pass, things do not turn out the way they had hoped. Living in an isolated cottage on a pitch-black street, with a world war rumbling away in the background and the price of everything going through the roof, John and Jenny face the ravages of poverty and childlessness.
One day, a mysterious, ancient object comes into their possession, a ghoulish talisman that seems to grant wishes. Could this be the remedy for all their troubles? Or is it something more sinister, with the power to plunge them into far deeper miseries?
CAST
Steven Maddocks as John White
Josephine Rogers as Jenny White
CREATIVE TEAM
Director – Leah Townley
Sound Design – Peter Michaels
Stage Manager – Joe Judd
Prop Design – Gisela Mulindwa
THE MONKEY’S PAW
Adapted from W. W. Jacobs
Devised, written and produced by Infinite Space Theatre
The Hope Theatre, 207 Upper Street, London N1 1RL
21 October to 8 November 2025
