Think ‘Grease’ meets ‘Scream’ in this chilling tale of murder, arson and betrayal. Based on the old Welsh tale of ‘Mary Maid’, an innocent girl with a dark past is betrayed by her lover and finds herself in a desperate situation. It can be difficult for a stage performance to make an audience feel as scared as a film can, but here the rockabilly band and creepy characters get the job done. The audience members jump out of their seats at the sudden twists, but are singing along to the next catchy ballad moments later – could this be the next ‘Rocky Horror Show’? I wouldn’t recommend walking home alone after a night at ‘The Bloody Ballad’.

Assembly Roxy, until 25 Aug, 7.45pm.
tw rating 5/5 | [Rebecca Lunn]