Author: Susan Hill

Adaptor: Stephen Mallatratt

Director: Robin Herford

Reviewer: Ruth Lovett

The Public Reviews Rating:

A cold misty evening in Sheffield sees the welcome return of this chilling tale. A stalwart of London’s West End for over 20 years and wonderfully adapted by Stephen Mallatratt, this classic ghost story still thrills and terrifies audiences night after night.

Slow to start, the tale begins with Arthur Kipps (Robert Demeger) recounting his tale of his brush with a ghost on the North East coast of England in the course of his duties a solicitor handling the estate of the late Mrs Drablow. Kipps is sent as the firm’s representative at the funeral which nobody else attends and it is here he first encounters the mysterious woman dressed in black. Kipps’ monotone delivery of the story is hardly inspiring and fails to captivate the audience so he hires The Actor (Peter Bramhill) to play the young Kipps and from here the story takes flight.

With a cast of two plus the woman in black, Bramhill and Demeger create all the characters we meet in the course of Kipps’ tale, and through the use of a narrator where necessary, the audience are invited to use their imagination to conjure up an image of the dark, desolate Eel Marsh House, the misty, boggy marshes and it is the audience who quickly create the tense atmosphere in the auditorium and make the play a success.

Clever use of recorded sound effects helps the audience imagine various scenes and events while the actors use minimal props and very quickly you can see the audience accept the use of a skip as a pony and trap when paired with the recorded sound of horse’s hooves. The set is minimal; effectively a few props, a couple of clothes rails and a piece of tatty looking gauze which when lit from different angles (Kevin Sleep) reveals more of the set and heightens the horror as the story unfolds and we discover the fate of the Woman in Black.

The success of this play lies in its ability to draw the audience in and use their imaginations create an atmosphere of genuine terror causing the audience to gasp and shriek in horror and jump in their seats with spine-chilling dread. Many people will be used to big flashy productions where everything is done for you and all you have to do is sit in your seat and soak it in. This show requires the audience to think as you get as much out of it as you are willing to put in. There is little to be said about the Woman in Black what has not already been said or without revealing too much of the plot but it is safe to say, that there is no doubt that this play will continue to thrill and delight audience for years to come.

Photo: Previous Cast – Runs until Sat 27th Feb

The Woman in Black - Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield, 5.0 out of 5 based on 3 ratings

Tags: Fortune Theatre, Ghost Story, Peter Bramhill, Robert Demeger, Sheffield Lyceum, Stephen Mallatratt, Susan Hill, Woman in Black