The legendary long-running horror thriller West End show returns on a UK tour!
The Woman In Black is a 1987 two-act stage play by Stephen Mallatratt based on Susan Hill’s novel of the same name. The production opened in 1989 and ran until March 2023, becoming the second longest-running play in the West End (only second to The Mousetrap). The story follows a lawyer who believes that a curse has been placed upon him and his family. He believes the Woman in Black has summoned this curse, and enlists a young actor to help retell his terrifying story which still worries him to this day. As the retelling starts, everything seems as it should: though the story begins to drift into spooky and worrying territory. The Woman In Black is a classic horror play, making this visit to New Theatre Peterborough incredibly exciting. I’ve had the privilege of watching The Woman In Black in the West End back in 2017 at the Fortune Theatre (now home to Operation Mincemeat). After nearly a decade, I was eager to return to this horrifying and intriguing play.
The plot of The Woman In Black remains both a mystery and intrigue. As The Actor retraces the events felt and witnessed by Arthur Kipps, we flip between both the theatre and the play within the play. It is a unique storytelling technique which allows for some time to feel more ‘comfortable’ when we are in the theatre. The story itself is very interesting, with lots of layers which is slowly built through adding more and more detail. There is a reason The Woman In Black is renowned throughout the UK and this production brings this to life in many regional theatres!
Throughout the entire show, the audience remains on the edge of their seat: waiting for a jump scare or horrifying moment. The Woman In Black cleverly knows this about their audience, only utilising these techniques when we are least expecting them. Whilst watching the production, you become comfortable and relaxed which makes the spooky moments more satisfying and frightening. This makes the entire experience feel gripping whilst also quite terrifying. In addition to this, the use of lighting and sound effects are vital to telling this story. Sudden sound effects can occur whilst dramatic lighting helps to build tension and panic.
As the production follows only two actors, it is incredibly important they work well together and develop strong chemistry: which both individuals have in this show. John Mackay plays Arthur Kipps and Daniel Burke plays The Actor. Mackay is able to balance between playing lots of roles whilst also playing Arthur: the individual who has lived the story of The Woman in Black. He navigates the role effortlessly, switching between characters on the fly. Often Mackay’s acting helps to build tension for the audience and Burke’s character, making us feel uneasy on what is going to happen. Burke is retelling the story from the perspective of Arthur Kipps on stage. He comes across confident and profound to start but slowly opens to the realisation that The Woman In Black is a real story. Burke’s acting was phenomenal throughout and was great at helping the audience follow the story. Together Mackay and Burke worked very hard on stage to retell this classic story, which cannot be easy considering there is only two of them. They bring realism and emotion to their roles which is challenging in such a gripping, popular story.
Book your tickets now before to watch this brilliant play, The Woman In Black, before Saturday!
Tickets for this performance were provided complimentary. Many thanks to the production team, PR team and Landmark Theatres.
Max
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