The Woman in Black is one of the longest running shows on the West End, having closed last year after over 33 years on the stage. One of the main reasons for its success is that it is unpretentious in its intentions and does not attempt to be something it simply is not. This is not necessarily a high-brow play but it isn’t trying to be. This is a play has only three primary desires: to entertain, to scare and to shock. While it may not do much more, there can be no doubt that it certainly does all three. 

Heading to the Theatre Royal after a national tour, this latest production of the iconic show stars noted theatre actors Daniel MacPherson and John Waters in the leading roles, who show off the great degree of acting skill that the roles demand. This is a show based on trickery and MacPherson and Waters both possess the ability to suspend disbelief in order to harness the potential of the show.

The show begins with a meeting between an Actor and Arthur Kipps, the latter of whom seeks to get the story of his life off his chest. The start of the play is perhaps the slowest start to a production that I have seen. This is done intentionally but even so, there is a feeling of dread amongst the audience as to what the quality of the play could potentially be based on the opening 25-30 minutes. Thankfully, the play picks up and does so very quickly from this point but if it were not a classic, one would have to wonder if the opening part of the show is really necessary (and to be frank, if it does the rest of the show anything other than a disservice). 

Once Kipps heads to the haunted Eel Marsh House to tidy the affairs of the recently deceased owner and first encounters the ghost that everyone in the town seems petrified of, the action goes from strength to strength. The Theatre Royal can be a fairly soulless venue for plays at times, but here, due to the space and depth required for the special effects and the willingness of the production team, led by Robin Herford and Antony Eden, to move the actors around the venue to utilise the space, this does not feel like such an issue here. 

This is a play that is more reliant on its production team than most and here, the team works in perfect synchronicity. The lighting and staging are eerie and moody, which help to set an ambiance of fear while the sound is spooky, coming in at the perfect moments to add to the drama. The whole spectacle is expertly done, with the quality of the special effects being of the highest order and a primary reason why this show succeeds. 

Ultimately, this is a play built of suspense, special effects and the quality of its acting. There is not much of substance behind it but there does need to be nor does the audience expect there to be so. The audience comes to these types of productions to be scared and entertained and this production certainly does that. Usually the domain of horror is left for film, but this production demonstrates that a good piece of theatre can have the same effect. If you are squeamish this may not be the production for you, but if you’re a fan of jump scares, there is really no production that can top this one. 

Rating: ★★★★

The Woman in Black plays at the Theatre Royal until 17^th August. For more information, click here.

 All photo credits: Justin Nicholas