The Haunting of Hill House premieres at Salisbury Playhouse

If you fancy a bit of gothic horror and don't mind a short trip out of Southampton, there's a world premiere opening just up the road. The Salisbury Playhouse is about to host the first-ever stage adaptation of Shirley Jackson's classic supernatural thriller, The Haunting of Hill House, and it's the kind of thing that's worth the journey for anyone who likes their theatre with a chill down the spine.

The production runs from Friday 11 September to Saturday 3 October, so you've got a few weeks to pick a date. It's been adapted for the stage by Stef Smith, who's picked up both an Olivier and a BAFTA, and is directed by Martin Constantine. Wiltshire Creative is producing it in association with Theatr Clwyd, and the cast is a strong one: Jasper Britton as Dr Montague, Jemma Churchill as Mrs Montague, Sian Howard as Mrs Dudley, Sophie Lenglinger as Theo, Robin Morrissey as Luke, and Clancy Ryan as Eleanor. The whole thing runs about two hours with an interval, and it's aimed at ages 12 and over, so it's fine for a family outing as long as the younger ones aren't too easily spooked.

It's worth knowing whose work is being brought to life here. Shirley Jackson wrote The Haunting of Hill House in 1959, and it's long since become one of the most famous ghost stories ever written. Her son, Laurence J. Hyman, has commented on the production, saying that from film and television to the stage, his mother's legacy continues to endure through the iconic novel. Jackson herself was an American writer who packed an incredible amount of work into just over twenty years: six novels, two memoirs, and more than 200 short stories, with her debut, The Road Through the Wall, coming out in 1948. She was born in San Francisco and went to Syracuse University, where she met her husband, Stanley Edgar Hyman.

If you can't make the Salisbury run, there's no need to panic. After the premiere, the show is heading out on a UK tour, with dates at the Richmond Theatre in early October, Theatr Clwyd in Mold, the Theatre Royal Brighton, the Palace Theatre Manchester, the Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse, the Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh, and finally the Arts Theatre Cambridge in mid-November. So if Salisbury doesn't suit, you might be able to catch it closer to home later on.

A few practical notes for the Salisbury trip. The Playhouse sits on Malthouse Lane, just off Fisherton Street and next to the Central Car Park, and it's roughly a five-minute walk from the station, which makes it easy to reach by train. Tickets start at £12.50, and the box office is open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 5pm, or until 8pm on performance days. The venue is part of Wiltshire Creative, the same charity behind the Salisbury Arts Centre and the Salisbury International Arts Festival, and it runs two spaces: the 517-seat Main House and the smaller Salberg Studio. For a world premiere of a story this well-loved, it's a tempting excuse to head over to Salisbury for an evening.