Horror fanatics and jumpscare lovers are lining up for the epitome of horror theatre – ‘The Woman in Black’, which is playing in Glasgow’s Theatre Royal this week. Susan Hill’s comedic, tense, psychological thriller (adapted by Stephen Mallatratt) had the audience glued to the edge of their seats waiting for the next scream! The story follows Mr Kipps, an elderly man who wants to share his experience and traumatic stories that he has kept hidden all these years with his family. He seeks the help of an actor who creates a theatre piece to recount the terrifying story surrounding his encounter with the woman in black.
Robin Hereford absolutely nailed the direction of this play. The blocking and creative direction Hereford implemented into the piece created such a unique and gripping visual performance. The use of the stage was excellent. The depiction of the Manor House – as well as the gradual builds of tension brought this already terrifying tale to the stage brilliantly, guaranteeing the haunting imagery hit it’s mark.
Malcolm James – who played Mr Kipps (as well as many other minor characters) – portrayed the role perfectly. The character arc of a frail, timid man just trying to seek advice; from a proper performer who engrossed himself and encapsulated the character amazingly was a great story to follow throughout the play. James had great comedic timing, alongside having a cynical demeanor during pinnacle moments that really benefited from it.
Mark Hawkins – who played the actor – was an outstanding bundle of energy from start to finish. Hawkins brought emotion and suspense to the piece, holding the audience in the palm of his hands, creating suspense and anticipation by merely utilizing silence as a key device. He was the driving force of the show and successfully terrified a majority of the audience, with his sheer performance establishing the mood and atmosphere of each scene. Alongside the horror – there were some light-hearted moments that got the laughs needed to get audience members to drop their guards – and this was effective to once again make them vulnerable for another scare.
As for “the surprise” – well it’s safe to say it was terrifying…
The standout areas in this production were the set, lighting and sound design. Michael Holt created an amazing set that was so easily manipulated to change location, allowing the story to flow effectively between real life and rehearsals. Kevin Sleep’s excellent use of the lighting was what held the story together and continued to build the suspense and moments of anticipation when the stage was completely silent. Sleep’s use of shadow screens and projections gave some amazing visuals and helped immerse the audience. Sebastian Frost had the audience jumping out of their skin with some really fun and unexpected sound effects. The sound design didn’t only just help Mr Kipps and the actor with their rehearsals of Kipps’ stories but it also helped push along the play itself and have the audience listening out for certain sound cues – leading them to know (or atleast think they know) that something is about to happen.
In conclusion, ‘The Woman in Black’ is an amazing piece of horror theatre. Horror can be such a difficult genre to depict on stage as it has limitations in comparison to the trickery of cinematography in film and television. However, the cast and crew did an outstanding job in creating a gripping and suspenseful production. Which was versatile in it’s storytelling with very funny and light-hearted scenes featured – but forced some legitimate jump scares from the entire audience, leading to a deserved standing ovation to round the night off.
Photography – Mark Douet
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