‘The Woman in Black’ Is Scary,  But Not… Terrorizing at The Rep

by Pat Lindsey

When I was invited to see ‘The Woman in Black’ at The Rep in October, my first thought was that it was probably an appropriate show for the month of Halloween. I had never seen it, nor did I know anything about the book or the movie. Most of the time I steer clear of anything spooky, but I decided to be brave and risk having nightmares for this one. I’m glad I did.

This production of Susan Hill’s ‘The Woman in Black’ is the original London production of a play by Stephen Mallatratt based on the gothic novel. Robin Herford, the original director of the London production, is sharing his ghostly directorial genius at The Rep.

‘The Woman in Black’ tells the story of a young man, played by James Byng, who travels to an old country manor to help settle the estate of a reclusive widow, Mrs Drablow. What he doesn’t realize is that the home is haunted by a woman with a skeletal face dressed in black, and she does not intend to make his stay in the house a pleasant one.

The two male roles in the play are performed by three actors. (shown in these photos from The Rep) David Acton plays Arthur Kipps, James Byng plays the Actor, and, for the first time ever, Ben Porter plays both roles. Of course, there is the Woman in Black, but she remains an unidentified mystery. (Her name isn’t even listed among the cast credits in the program.)

The first act begins slowly with Arthur Kipps reading his personal manuscript to the Actor in a monotone. The two men create more comedy than scariness and the suspense, at this point, is in wondering how in the world this dialogue is going to develop into anything thrilling. It took me a while to figure out that this is a play within a play.

Arthur Kipps has hired an actor to act out his real-life nightmare that he has described in his manuscript. Mr. Kipps is desperate to stop this recurring nightmare and, by bringing the horror to life, he hopes to remove it from his life forever. Gradually, the atmosphere in the theatre begins to change. Screams and loud noises jolt the audience. Hold onto your seat, because Act II will take you and your imagination to places where no one should enter alone.

The eerily effective sparse sets are shades of gray and black. The bone-chilling sound effects by Sebastian Frost transport the audience to various locations, while startling them when they least expect it. The actors have command of the stage and slowly immerse the audience into their haunting ghost story. It’s good theatre whether you enjoy being scared or not. Judging from the enthusiastic standing ovation the actors received from the audience, and the fact that I did not have nightmares after seeing it, I think ‘The Woman in Black’ is one terrific tale of terror.

‘The Woman in Black’ will be haunting St. Louis audiences at The Rep in Webster Groves now through Oct. 26. For tickets, visit www.repstl.org or call the Box Office at 314-968-4925.

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