The Woman in Black
Ghost of a Chance
The Woman in Black
by Stephen Mallatratt, adapted from the novel by Susan Hill
PW Productions at Richmond Theatre until 18th November, then on tour until 1st June 2024
Review by Heather Moulson
Back in 1989, The Woman in Black opened in the in the West End and over 13,000 performances have followed. But the current production is still a fresh fest of Gothic horror.
A great entrance from the auditorium by the excellent Mark Hawkins playing The Actor forms the surprise opening. This humorous first encounter lets us forgive the distracting house lights staying on in the opening minutes. However, once they dim, we long for them to return, as terror and apprehension envelope us.
Malcolm James gives a clever performance as the, initially, reticent Mr Kipps. Shedding his deceptively subdued air, he becomes as vibrant as his co-star.
The Woman in Black is a well-written two hander between an older Mr Kipps, recalling a terrible incident, and an upbeat jobbing actor. They are the reserved and the uninhibited.
The action takes places against designer Michael Holt’s impressive sloping set that is contractually smart yet sordid, cleverly conveying the air of abandonment and secrets.
Skilled lighting, designed by Kevin Sleep, creates looming and menacing shadows, enhancing a real anticipation of the horror to come. Rod Mead and Sebastian Frost’s terrifying sound was design is razor sharp, and particularly timely and effective on the younger Mr Kipp’s remote train journey.
The second act brings unrelenting horror as the story unfolds. There are genuinely creepy moments, not to mention The Woman in Black herself walking down the aisle. The press night audience screamed in sheer terror at events in this strange house cut off by a causeway. In the house, Mr Kipps, as a solicitor to the recently deceased, unwisely sleeps over with an ineffectual dog for company. (What is wrong with this man?!). Through tangible and well-timed smoke effects, the creepy and dimly lit abandoned rooms on the upper floor and the ghostly air of malice really builds up the tension, plus strong writing and plot that’s unnerving carries us along, raising the hairs on the back of neck quite nicely.
Mark Hawkins works hard and manically through every re-enacted scene of Mr Kipp’s recollections of thirty years ago. Supported with the strength and talent of Malcolm James, this is a brutally demanding play for actors, but they both come up trumps.
By the way, if you are a regular at Richmond Theatre, and you think you have seen Mark Hawkins, it is not that he one of Richmond’s famous ghosts, but he often works in the box-office.
Directed in great detail by Robin Herford The Woman in Black is terrifying !! And even the ethereal eponymous Woman in Black, a trouper at heart, actually takes a curtain call – from behind her ghostly wall. What a professional!
Heather Moulson, November 2023
Photography by Mark Douet
Mark Aspen 