By Krystal Starkey
Steven Mallatratt’s adaptation of the 1983 horror-fiction by Susan Hill has stood the test of time, filling theatres across the UK for decades. And tonight is no exception. York Theatre Royal is packed out for the opening night of The Woman in Black. Excited chatter and winter coughs fill the auditorium.
The play originally came to life just a stone’s throw away from York at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough. Director Robin Herford had a small budget, and wanted to put on a ghost story, while Alan Ayckbourn was away on a two-year sabbatical.
The story goes a little bit like this: elderly Arthur Kipps is on a mission to tell his harrowing ghost story, and to do so he enlists the help of a nameless actor, played by Daniel Easton.
“It must be told, I cannot carry the burden any longer,” he sighs.
Together they bring his story to life. The actor becomes young Arthur Kipps, and elderly Arthur Kipps, played by Robert Goodale takes on the various roles of all the people he came across 30 years earlier.
Young Arthur Kipps, a solicitor, must head to the remote town of Crythin Gifford, and visit the house of a recently deceased woman to sort out the estate. Something is off about the place and the local residents simply won’t talk about it.
This two-man play might look like it’s going to be a mission but the crew and cast make light work of keeping the audience engaged throughout.
This run of The Woman in Black has got the recipe for suspense just right. Having just two actors on stage is starting to make me feel isolated and nervous. The theatre feels cold. Sound comes from around the theatre, suddenly and loudly.
The actors turn wicker baskets into horse drawn carriages and chairs into beds smoothly. I even feel comforted by the non-existent invisible dog, Spider.
But the simple set fools me, and deeper into the play I’m surprised to see the grey stained curtain lit through to show a grand arched staircase, and then at other times, a desolate nursery.
The first half builds up suspense, slowly putting together pieces of the story, and testing the audience for reactions with a couple of jumpy moments, and just before the interval you get the full Woman in Black experience. Screams fill the air, and the audience go as far as to give the first half a round of applause.
Easton and Goodale leave nothing to be desired from their performance. Together they bring the horrific tale to life and scare the absolute c**p out of us all.
The film and play both pay homage to the original narrative in the best way they can – but to be sat in a theatre emerged in the fog and blood-curdling screams, gives this tale a dimension that’s worth every single penny.
The Woman In Black runs from the 12-16 November at York Theatre Royal visit www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk for tickets.
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