In a surprising twist of fate, a seasoned actor found himself at the center of an eerie tale that blurred the lines between reality and the supernatural.
The story unfolds in 2012 during the London Olympics, when he was cast in the renowned production of Sweeney Todd at the Adelphi Theatre.
For the first time, this Manchester native was away from his family for an extended period, leaving his wife to care for their twin daughters back home.
Every night, just before his daughters drifted off to sleep, he would call them.
It was a comforting routine, a way to bridge the distance.
However, one evening, as he settled into his cramped dressing room near the stage door, something peculiar happened.
His daughter began making strange noises, her voice filled with curiosity.
“Daddy, there’s a man behind you,” she said, her tone serious.
Initially dismissing it as a figment of a child’s imagination, he chuckled and reassured her that no one was there.
But the odd occurrences didn’t stop there.
Just a few nights later, during another call, his daughter announced, “Daddy’s back.” Confused, he asked who she meant.
“The man is back.
He’s right behind you,” she insisted.
Intrigued, he pressed for more details.
“What does he look like?” he inquired.
She described a tall figure with a mustache and dark hair, dressed as a soldier and, hauntingly, in tears.
At that moment, chills ran down his spine.
Could there be some truth to her claims?
Curiosity piqued, he decided to share this strange encounter with one of the theatre’s staff members, attempting to pass it off as a lighthearted anecdote.
“My daughter keeps saying there’s a man behind me,” he laughed, expecting a chuckle in return.
Instead, the manager’s expression shifted to one of recognition.
“Oh, that’ll be William,” he replied nonchalantly.
Taken aback, the actor pressed for more information.
The manager explained that William is a well-known ghost associated with the theatre.
Intrigued, he took to Google, where he uncovered the chilling history of William Terrace.
An actor himself, William was tragically murdered at the theatre’s stage door on the opening night of a play in which he starred as a captain in the American Union Army.
As he delved deeper into the ghost’s backstory, the actor felt a wave of unease wash over him.
The idea that he had been sharing a space with a spirit linked to such a tragic event sent shivers down his spine.
