The Woman in Black comes to the Birmingham stage after thrilling and terrifying audiences in the West End for over 30 years.
The spine-tingling and intimate drama is currently playing at The Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham.
Susan Hill’s gothic novel, full of foreboding and creeping dread, was published in 1983 and within a few years it had been adapted for the theatre where it became a huge critical and commercial success.
Hammer Films, the much-loved British film studio famed for producing horror films, returned after a hiatus of many years and released a film version of The Woman in Black in 2012 starring Daniel ‘Harry Potter’ Radcliffe in the lead role.
Hill’s tragic tale is lean and focused and nothing is wasted. Every scene, every line of dialogue, and every thread of the stage adaptation is finely tuned and there is never a dull moment.
A lawyer named Arthur Kipps is sent off to a bleak and forsaken part of the country to settle the estate of a reclusive widow who has passed away. As Kipps begins the task of shifting through the dead woman’s papers, and cataloguing the contents of her dilapidated and gloomy mansion in the marshes, he begins to experience unease and horror in the remote and fog enshrouded landscape. A dreadful curse from beyond the grave is closing in on him.
The story deals with the haunting themes of betrayal and grief, and how negative energy lingers and causes unbearable anguish and pain to both the living and the dead.
Stephen Mallatratt adapts Susan Hill’s heartbreaking ghost story in a way that homes in on the poignant tragedy at the centre of the tale while director Robin Herford keeps the narrative flowing in a manner that heightens the hair-raising horror.
The minimalist production design, by Michael Holt, avoids the temptation to construct a huge mansion, or create a swampy graveyard, or have a train or a horse-drawn carriage come wheeling across the stage. All of these scenes from the novel are effectively transferred to the stage by the imaginative use of sound and lighting which unleashes swathes of suspense and paranoia.
A good example of using sound to convey the approaching terror is when the howling of a steam train poetically morphs into the sound of a tortuous scream that resulted in members of the audience shrieking in horror.
The eerie sound design by Sebastian Frost, and unnerving lighting by Kevin Sleep, hearkens to monochrome films of the 1930’s where atmosphere was conjured up by the power of suggestion.
The stage becomes a pool of mysterious and unsettling darkness where the mind is allowed to roam freely, the imagination of the spellbound audience is unlocked and every flicker of candlelight seems to transform into shapeshifting phantoms.
The theatrical techniques and stagecraft employed in this thrilling show may seem traditional and simple but they are absolutely awe-inspiring and engaging, and the attention of the audience never wavers, each scene is gripping and full of such palpable tension that one could hear a pin drop as the story unfolded.
In an age where multi-million dollar Hollywood film productions, and streaming giants such as Netflix, produce material on a conveyor belt of banality it is theatre that makes the most of engaging the minds of the audience in a way that can never be fully replicated by film. The immediacy and danger of live theatre adds elements and emotions that grip the audience in a unique manner. This spooky and cerebral play is one of those rare nights at the theatre which has the power to stay with the audience for years afterwards.
The Woman in Black is a terrifying and immersive edge-of-your-seat masterpiece that journeys into the heart of grief and loss. This is a rare chance to see a landmark theatrical experience right here in Birmingham.
Verdict: ★★★★★
The Woman in Black is now playing at The Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham until Saturday 10th February.
Excellent review. Brilliantly captures the atmosphere and feel of this beautiful production.