Woman in Black – Liverpool Playhouse

Writer: Susan Hill

Adaptor: Stephen Mallatratt

Director : Robin Hereford

Reviewer – Helen Patrick

The Public Reviews Rating:

I have to admit I was a little bit more than apprehensive ( I sent the following text to my brother before the show – I’M SCARED!) coming to review Woman in Black, after hearing so much about the production from friends and family. Being told that I wasn’t able to leave my seat during the performance only made my nerves stand on edge even more.

A man is haunted by dreams and apparitions that have followed him since a young man. Employed in a village in the furthest parts of the north, his client Mrs Drablow has died and as her solicitor is left to pick up the pieces and sort out all the relevant paper work for her estate. After many years of these hauntings the man has nothing left but to try and lay his demons to rest by sharing his experiences with the little help of an actor.

Both Robert Demeger as Mr Kipps and Peter Bramhill as the Actor are both sublime and give a faultless performance, their skill and dexterity as performers are next to none and have no trouble commanding your attention throughout the evening as they effortlessly share the story of the Woman in Black.

The set is well constructed – the plain exposed backstage of a theatre is open for all to see, yet as the evening progresses and through the clever use of props and items of furniture the lavish estate of Mrs Drablow is constructed in front of our very eyes. The tension is built well with clever use of lighting and sound effects.

I have to say I found the first half of the play rather slow, but I can understand the need to build up the tension needed to make the second act work, but I have to say that I found the ‘Scary’ elements of the production rather a let-down, maybe this is because I am an avid horror movie fan, or someone that just found it a little hard to buy into the idea of ghosts. Pushing my own feelings aside the many of the audience were a little bit more than scared.

Although this production didn’t win me completly over it is however a well constructed and performed production, providing a great evenings entertainment, and I for one am glad I managed to catch the legend that is The Woman in Black at long last.