Rehearsals are well underway for my December show, Brenda Bly: Teen Detective. We rehearse at the Flash Musical Theatre in Edgware, North London. The theatre is somewhat old and is always freezing due to poor insulation. It's seen better days. I learned yesterday that some of its residents have also seen better days: apparently the place is haunted by a woman that most of the people in my company have seen at one time or another. They call her Missus Missus. People who know me know I've always been intrigued by ghosts, so I have been collecting as many stories from the company as I can about Missus Missus.
An old lady in a black dress, she was most recently seen by Hannah a few weeks ago, who was teaching a Bollywood dancing class to some kids and had to lock up the theatre after all her students had gone. As she was leaving the theatre, she turned to check to make sure no one was still in the space, and saw Missus Missus walking up some stairs at the rear of the theatre. She called out to her, and she disappeared. She looked solid and real. Hannah has also seen her on the CCTV camera, when sitting in the theatre office, and Missus Missus has walked by the door to the ladies' room while Hannah has been standing at the sinks.
Jenny thinks Missus Missus likes her, as she has been photographed several times with orbs flying around her. It is generally agreed, however, that Missus Missus does not like Catia, and has scratched her or pushed her several times. A number of people in the cast have said that children in the audience have asked them, after performances, who the old lady dancing on stage was. Hannah's dad, a magician, has been distracted during performances at the theatre by Missus Missus flitting up and down in the wings. In fact, a child he brought up onstage with him to assist with a trick saw Missus Missus, laughed and pointed her out, and Hannah's dad had to play along with the kid.
Jenny, Laura and Hannah perform as a girls' group that sings World War II era music. When they rehearse at the theatre, they swear their sound becomes more authentic and sounds like they are really 1940s'-era torch singers like the Andrews Sisters. They can't explain it, but think that it might be Missus Missus at work, and that she may be of this era. A number of people who have been alone in the theatre at one time or another have told me that they have all of a sudden felt an explicable, oppressive sadness, and have gone from cheery and happy one moment to feeling close to tears the next.
So who is she and how did she get to this theatre? The theatre sits next to a recreation ground that was at one time the graveyard for a church that also sat on the recreation ground. Both were moved to make room for the park, and apparently the theatre, in its previous incarnation as a community hall, was used as temporary storage for the coffins before they were moved to their new location. I don't know if I believe this, but I'm going to look into it and see what I can find out.
Interesting stories though. I hope I come across Missus Missus one of these days.