Concrete Playground

The south end of King Street in Newtown is not the nicest of places to find oneself late in the evening, except of course if one is looking for a little spooking. Fortunately, after a solidly entertaining first season, Theatre of Blood is returning to the foyer of the Newtown Theatre for a second.

In the tradition of the legendary Parisian theatre Grand Guignol, Theatre of Blood embraces the macabre — bloody violence and grisly ends combine in tongue-in-cheek but deadly serious short plays. An evening consists of three one-act shows all played out by midnight (which puts one out on the street at the witching hour ... ), lashings of fake blood and a suitably attired Master of Ceremonies. Season two features an adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart, the premiere of Chocolate Curses and The Torture Garden (straight from the Grand Guignol's repertoire). Horror theatre anyone?