31 January 2024 I 19:30 I Grand Opera House, York
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This landmark third visit to Eel Marsh house, home to the deceased Mrs. Jennet Humfrye, marks my 100th visit to the theatre! Susan Hill's The Woman In Black consistently manages to enthral me almost five years after my previous visits. I have never been the bravest when it comes to the genre of horror, and the show still succeeds in setting my pulse racing, palms sweating and tensing up in my seat. It is extremely rare to see such thrilling shocks on the stage, mostly due to the immense challenges of perfecting the suspense. Yet The Woman In Black is unquestionably a classic feat of how exactly you stage fear in its rawest form.
One of my main concerns about this play touring is how well it would translate away from its previous home at London's Fortune Theatre. Though it really finds a way to embody York's Grand Opera House, a small and rickety old venue that compliments well in its intimacy, exploring the space beyond the stage.
Set in the 1950s, Michael Holt's design does everything it needs in its simplicity. From the bare fronter stage to a children's nursery, the layers to the set enable the uneasy sense of discovery, as we join Arthur in unveiling Eel Marsh's secrets and what haunts the grounds. Marrying with this, Kevin Sleep's use of absent lighting is eerie all the same, as the things that lurk in the dark can easily lure us into a false sense of security, to play tricks on the audience. Handheld lighting is the most convincing in these states, as the theatrical presence is removed, thus our uncertainty increasing away from the typical safety of being cosy in our seats. Being second row of the stalls, when haze enters the stage, the level of immersion is remarkable, in such a realistic depiction of fog. It really amplifies the tension by taking away our agency to see parts of the action.
Adapted for stage by Stephen Mallatratt, the script acknowledges the intake of suspense with caution, opening with an extended period of the natural. The worlds blur as Arthur Kipps hires a young Actor to portray himself in the events of his past. Comic moments work well to lower our barriers, thus allowing suspense to rise in its most heightened form. Mixing fiction and the 'reality' of Arthur's story reflects a lucid reality much more believable than just a folk tale. The experience feels lived and thoroughly haunted. Jump scares aren't too frequent, which works in the play's benefit so audiences aren't taken out of the action, indulging in the unpredictability of structure.
Malcolm James delivers the role of Arthur Kipps (multirolled with others). Horror and the unseen relies on the actor's behaviour to influence our imagination. James is commanding and steely with his performance, initially hard to read. But there is an astonishing development as he wavers across the plot, holding a world of pain through his expression, rigid posture and quivers in his voice. He allows horror to seep in through his character work, you rarely see pain represented in such a truthful manner.
Alongside James, Mark Hawkins is an expert in working the most classical form of theatre, a pleasure to see without microphones and pure to the time period. I simply find Hawkins mesmerising and inspirational as the Actor. You feel the investment to retell Arthur's words, where his frantic energy through pacing enhances the terror. The parallel between the pair is extremely investing. What a pair of actors can do to stage perhaps the scariest theatrical event of history... mind blowing!
The Woman In Black places a lot of emphasis on recorded sound, designed by Sebastian Frost and Rob Mead. The way it is mapped out to crescendo, the volume can be louder than expected, though this almost ear piercing noise adds to the vengeful aggression of Humfrye's ghost. Sound often helps to amplify scenic changes, and to outline absolute silence, allowing our mind to go to work.
The notion of make believe through the story really challenges our perception of what exactly is real and what is imagined in a world of supernatural. The legacy of The Woman In Black really speaks for itself, captivating an incredibly strained audience, it will effect everyone. Directed by Robin Herford, this thriller is just as engrossing as it has ever been, haunting each and every theatre it moves into. Endless post show comments feel the fear, and you will too...
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