Theatre / Reviews
Review: The Woman in Black, Theatre Royal Bath – ‘There are genuinely nerve-wracking jump scares’
Ghost stories didn’t start with Dickens and they don’t end with Susan Hill, but my goodness she’s hard to beat. The Woman in Black has been terrifying readers and audiences for over 40 years and shows no sign of hanging up its hat.
Stephen Mallatratt adapted the book for theatre in a brilliantly clever way, using the ‘play within a play’ conceit to tell the story of Arthur Kipps, a young solicitor given the job of sorting through the estate of an elderly client. He is keen, likeable and confident, so we know he has a tough time ahead.
As Kipps travels to the remote setting she lived in, by train at first then by a prophetic pony and trap across a treacherous stretch of marshland, each step of the journey becomes more sinister. Inclement weather, monosyllabic frightened locals and a huge deserted house all appear in this story, together with children’s toys, locked rooms and shadowy sightings.
We learn of a tragic incident whose legacy has far-reaching, terrible consequences. We experience fear, anticipation, relief and then fear again. It’s just what you want, when you want to be scared stiff in safety. It’s satisfyingly terrifying as a story, and this production goes a long way to honour the creators’ original intent.
John Mackay is excellent, switching effortlessly between his array of characters with depth and subtlety. Daniel Burke, as the actor employed to help Kipps, is a little less convincing, but gives a solid version of the innocent everyman who takes us along with him. No spoilers, but they are not alone in their accomplished telling of this tale.
The main character in this show is definitely the sound design. Using the original design, but with more recent technology, Sebastian Frost does an incredible job of creating audio jump scares, echoing terror and unnerving thrums (is it a heartbeat, is it a rocking horse?) It’s so great to experience genuine fear, without cynicism.
I am perhaps unfairly mis-remembering set design elements from the original production, which remains one of my top five theatre experiences ever. I felt the visual scares in this production were a little under par, a little too quick and occasionally more cinematic than theatrical.
In the audience tonight was a party of excitable school pupils, whose regular falls into utter, prolonged silence were remarkable to witness.
Go and see this show if you want to give yourself over to the safe manipulation of your nerves. The work that happens on and offstage deserves to be seen. And heard.
The Woman in Black (age recommendation 12+) is at Theatre Royal Bath on December 2-6 at 7.30pm, with additional 2.30pm matinee shows on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. Tickets are available at www.theatreroyal.org.uk.
All photos: Mark Douet
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