WHEN you hear a production described as ‘the most terrifying theatre experience in the world’ you could be forgiven for factoring in the hype.
The first Act seems a little disjointed, the actors revelling in the ‘in-joke’ as they switch between characters
Based on the 1983 book by Susan Hill and emerging from rather inauspicious beginnings (the original was created on a shoestring budget of just £1000) The Woman in Black has played at the Fortune theatre in London’s West-End since 1989 and is now one of the longest-running plays in British theatrical history- rivalled only by The Mousetrap. However, the disturbing, supernatural thriller that is The Woman in Black (currently playing at the Lowry) does an excellent job of living-up to this extraordinary reputation.
In 2015 it’s back on the road for a national tour - and three million theatre-goers later, is still pulling in the crowds.
The story follows the tale of Arthur Kipps, a young man sent to a remote community to investigate the legal affairs of a recently deceased elderly client. All too soon it becomes clear why the reticent locals shy away from the brooding house on the causeway.
The book’s original 12 characters have been culled and the 1987 stage show-written by Stephen Mallatratt - cleverly uses the conceit of a ‘play within a play’ to streamline the action and exploit some universal fears. At times the first Act seems a little disjointed, the actors revelling in the ‘in-joke’ as they switch between characters to discuss their imaginary stage-set and props, but there’s a point amidst the joviality when the mood darkens....
Act Two and there’s a miasma of dry-ice swirling over the auditorium. It’s clammy and oppressive - Salford’s recent balmy evenings forgotten as the packed crowd is transported to a bleak, eerie marsh.
Malcom James as Arthur Kipp in The Woman in BlackThe play, directed by Robin Herford, encourages the audience to make the most of the live theatre experience- involuntary shrieks and gasps regularly punctuate the performance.
Creaking, empty rocking chairs, slamming doors, billowing curtains, they’d be harmless clichés if they weren’t so exquisitely timed, so innocuously domestic, so utterly unnerving.
Even as the play ends, the atmosphere remains unsettling. The house-lights kept low, the air-conditioning deliberately dropped by a degree or two. A feeling that The Woman in Black may make yet another appearance...and that feeling isn’t going away anytime soon.
The Woman in Black, Tues 28 April- Sat 2 May, The Lowry Theatre- Salford. Contact www.lowry.com for details.
