Lyceum theatre – until Saturday 12 October 2019
Reviewed by Charleigh
5*****
The Woman in Black has been a personal favourite book of mine for a number of years, but I had never had the chance to see the stage play, so when the chance to review it came I jumped at it, and I had high expectations.
I can say I definitely wasn’t disappointed.
The play sticks closely to the book, although it has been adapted slightly to fit in the theatre.
The play takes place in the theatre (we are told in the programme that it is this theatre) and follows Arthur Kipps (played by Robert Goodale) and The Actor (Daniel Easton). Arthur has come to the theatre to tell a story, one of intrigue and mystery that has haunted him for years. He enlists the help of the Actor, who gladly steps in to make Arthur’s long descriptive story more accessible to an audience.
Showing Arthur how sound, lighting and props can transform a scene, they embark upon recounting Arthurs experience as a young man. We’re transported back to a cold wintery town, and here we’re told the chilling story of an old house, a long dangerous causeway and a woman in black.
The set was simplistic, which fit in with the theme of the play, set in one room we are asked to use our imagination as a wicker basket becomes a pony and trap, a train and even a bed. Along with this some perfectly placed cloth was hiding a more complex set, which opened the stage to wider locations.
The play was opened superbly, with Arthur entering and easing us in with some genius comedy, which I was surprised to find in a ghost story. These light moments were sporadically placed throughout the show giving some much-needed relief from the tension we were all feeling.
Although there are only two physical people, we are introduced throughout the play to several different characters. Many of these are played by Robert Goodale, who does a fantastic job of portraying the different characters. I truly felt that watching him he had transformed from one person to the next, both allowing different accents, characteristics and props, so they were easy to differentiate.
Daniel Easton’s performance was just as spectacular. His emotional performance was one of the best I’ve seen in a while and this took the audience on an emotional ride, taking us from terrified one minute to laughing the next. Both actors did a fantastic job of remembering the lines and carrying the play between them.
I would absolutely recommend everyone seeing this play, an undeniably magnificent show that sent chills down my spine.