Ghost in heels back in old haunt
The theatre has undergone extensive recent renovations
A headless male ghost said to have once stalked a famous Aberdeen theatre appears to have returned - in high heels.
"Jake" was blamed for any minor mishap to hit productions at His Majesty's Theatre for decades.
A refurbishment in 1982 got rid of much of the old stage equipment and apparently Jake with it.
However staff believe a multi-million pound renovation has awoken Jake - now complete with the sound of high heels.
The theatre's archivist Edi Swan said he had had many encounters with Jake.
His story is thought to stem from a stagehand who died in an accident during a circus performance inside the theatre.
Just as they were packing up to leave they heard these high heels going click, click, click, click.
Edi Swan
Theatre archivist
Mr Swan said: "During the war years circuses had to come inside. The horses had to be brought up on stage and taken down on the lift and in those days it was wound by hand.
"A stagehand was in charge of that winch. It was too heavy. The handle of the winch flew out of their hands.
"He went across to put the brake on and forgot that the handle was coming round. It hit him and it took his head off.
"Now, when funny things happened in the theatre, it was a way of explaining strange things.
"If a screwdriver went missing you'd just say 'ach, that's just Jake, it'll be back tomorrow', and right enough the next day it was back."
'No answer'
HMT went through a recent renovation with the stage being made larger and a modern caf? added to the side.
Mr Swan thinks the disturbance caused by the work may have awoken Jake.
He said: "The contractors were working down at the front of the stalls putting in seats.
"Just as they were packing up to leave they heard these high heels going click, click, click, click.
"One of them had seen the car of the structural engineer, who was a woman, in the car park.
"So he called out to her. There was no answer. They couldn't lock up until everyone was out so he decided to phone her. And she was in the hairdresser's.
"So maybe those footsteps were Jake. Wearing high heels".
Theatre chief executive Duncan Hendry said: "We were sitting in the bar here last week when the lights suddenly went off and nobody could explain why. The hand of Jake is still around in the theatre."
Mr Swan concluded: "He's a beneficial ghost. He's not an evil ghost at all."
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scot ... 097628.stm
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