EDINBURGH 2023: Review: MYSTERY HOUSE, Gilded Balloon Teviot, Turret
An interesting show that does a nice job connecting the lore of the Winchester Mystery House to a woman’s story of grief
As someone who loves learning about supposedly haunted places and is on the fence on whether or not ghosts are real or not, such as in places like the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California.
I have watched dozens of videos of paranormal investigators exploring the hundreds of rooms built by Sarah Winchester, the widow of William Winchester, who was rumoured to have never stopped working on the home as a way to appease the spirits of those killed by the Winchester rifle. Some claim is it one of the “most haunted places in the world,” now haunted not only by the spirits that haunted Sarah but by Sarah herself.
Wendy Weiner also shares an interest in the Winchester Mystery House which she expires in her solo show, Mystery House. Weiner grew up near the Mystery House and grew up visiting it, so she uses her knowledge to tell the story of Sarah Winchester to the audience. But as she begins to explain the grief that Sarah Winchester faced after losing her children and husband, she begins to explore her own grief when her father fell ill.
As if in a search for her own truth, Weiner begins to unravel the myth of the Winchester Mystery House, determined to understand why a grief-stricken woman would work on building a house every second of every day for 38 years. The grief of both women comes to a head towards the end of the show with an interesting twist.
While I loved the way that Weiner was able to give us a tour of the Winchester Mystery House through photos and stories, I would have loved to see some more of Weiner’s life on stage instead of photos of the Mystery House, connecting Weiner and Sarah Winchester in a more visual way. The twist, while interesting and tying together women in a time of grief, does not really make much sense in context and takes away time that could have been used to go more into Sarah Winchester’s real life and how it connects to Weiner’s own.
Ultimately, Mystery House is an interesting show that does a nice job connecting the lore of the Winchester Mystery House to a woman’s story of grief, using the pain of losing someone to explain the truth. While at times it went into unexpected territory, it is able to connect two women across time through a common thread of love and loss.
Mystery House runs at Gilded Balloon Teviot, Turret at 12:20 until 28 August (no performance on 21 August).
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