Theatre Royal
The Canterville Ghost
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The Canterville Ghost brings Oscar Wilde’s comic ghost story to radio, where an old English haunting meets the practical confidence of an American family. The Canterville ghost, long accustomed to frightening the inhabitants of his ancestral home, finds that his usual tricks have little effect on the newcomers.
The story blends supernatural atmosphere with social comedy. Its scenes play on the contrast between the ghost’s pride in his traditions and the family’s matter-of-fact responses, while the house itself becomes the setting for a contest between old-world legend and modern skepticism.
As a radio drama, the tale invites listeners to imagine the creaking halls, eerie appearances, and comic reversals through voices and sound. Wilde’s mix of gentle satire and ghost-story suspense gives the performance a playful, lightly spooky tone rather than a purely frightening one.
This recording is part of the Old Time Radio collection.