A modern ghost story set on the London Underground
Ghostly encounters leading to self-discovery are well-trodden ground, but they don’t usually take place at Angel tube station. This is Claud’s story, rescued from a plunge onto the tracks by a ghost who recognises her jumper as one they used to wear. As they discuss life, death and memory, it becomes clear Claud is the titular Empty Shell, drifting aimlessly since her father’s death 10 years ago. As Ruth says: how can you be living in fear when you’re not really living at all? Never Get to Heaven in an Empty Shell is a funny and occasionally moving tragicomedy with a great sense of place.
On an escalator ride through time and space, Ruth and Claud help one another towards redemption. Clothes are a recurring motif – carriers of memory, hard to part with even when outgrown – especially Claud’s jumper, a thrifted gift from her sister Lea and likely the same one Ruth used to wear. This family lies at the heart of Claud’s disconnection from the world: sorrow over losing her father, strained relations with her sister, and nervous anticipation for her brother’s wedding. The non-linear narrative, paired with Fielding’s delivery, yields a surprisingly nuanced performance, but some moments are hard to place in the wider story.
Claud’s monologue – delivered ably by writer-performer Claudia Fielding – possesses a duality: on the surface breezing through life with ease (and a bevy of one-liners), while beneath lies a deeper pain, hinted at from the outset by a recurring, dismissive joke about killing herself. Fielding has mastered the slight voice tremor, pivoting sharply from belly-laugh to sadness with real poignancy. It makes Claud a compelling and likeable narrator, someone whose company you’re glad to share.
London public transport is vividly drawn, from an annoying tour group jostling on the train platform to the borderline inappropriate tube ads. Similarly astute observations keep the comedy sharp, skewering both everyday life – why are there so many films about rats, anyway? – and Claud’s inner thoughts (“let’s not unpack that”, she quips). That attention to detail extends to the staging, which, despite the small theatre, is replete with sound cues, lighting shifts, and prop work that enhance the immersion. A particularly memorable moment sees Claud seize a mirror from the wall – metaphorically reclaiming control of her surroundings – to refocus the stage lighting.
Fundamentally, Never Get to Heaven in an Empty Shell feels promising but underdeveloped, mainly due to its script: disjointed narratives can create productive uncertainty, but need stronger scaffolding than is present here; some of the theming feels muddled; and the neat ending ties everything together a bit too conveniently. Still, Claud remains a compelling narrator, and Fielding’s performance is intricate and funny, making for an entertaining hour.
Never Get to Heaven in an Empty Shell plays at The Glitch until 6th July. Tickets are available here.