REVIEW: ‘The Woman in Black’ still scares London by candlelight

LONDON — It shouldn’t work as well as it does, but somehow the stage adaptation of The Woman in Black at the Fortune Theatre in London’s West End is equal parts thrilling and terrifying. Horror is a rare realm to see performed live, and it would have been easy for this successful production to go for the cheap scares. Instead, Stephen Mallatratt’s play, based on a book by Susan Hill, focuses on the theatricality of storytelling, letting us see both the creation and the creators. With a few props, a couple of drop screens and a ton of imagination, we’re whisked away to the far reaches of a broken psyche.

Ken Drury plays Arthur Kipps, an older man with a tortured past. He’s written an account of a terrible haunting that occurred when he was much younger, and he would like to see it performed by a character known as the Actor (Adam Best). The point of the makeshift production is simple enough: Arthur cannot live without proper catharsis from this heart-wrenching experience.

During acting lessons, where we serve as the audience, we watch Arthur and the Actor bring the story to life, almost as if we were all huddled under a tent telling ghost stories. In the retelling, the Actor plays a young Arthur Kipps, a junior solicitor with the unenviable task of settling the books for the old Eel Marsh estate. We’re told this haunted house becomes a solitary island when the tide rises, and at other times, it’s surrounded by a foggy marsh. Moviegoers will know these images from the recent cinematic adaption of The Woman in Black, starring Daniel Radcliffe as Arthur.

Within this house, our main character finds unspeakable horror, all in the form of a mysterious woman who seems to pop out of nothingness. Half the fun of watching The Woman in Black is not knowing what will happen next. The theatrics behind the scares are simple (doors slamming, shadows appears, lighting changing quickly), but they have their intended effect. On more than one occasion, my heart entered my throat and the hair stood up on the back of my neck. I’m not sure that I’ve ever seen something scarier in a theater than The Woman in Black.

Both Drury and Best offer thoughtful performances, holding the play together with their wit and measured line delivery. They join a long line of actors who have brought these characters to life in London. Next to Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap, The Woman in Black stands as one of the longest running shows of all time. Drury has a laconic shyness about his personality, while Best is more pushy and confident. Together, they travel very far, down dark, dark corridors.

The Fortune Theatre, where the legroom is tight and the seats are close to the stage, it’s easy to lean back, not out of relaxation, but because the palpable fury from the stage can be so goose bump-inducing. Like walking through a haunted house, experiencing The Woman in Black is a rite of passage, a means to say I heard the tale and lived to see another day.

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

• The Woman in Black is currently playing at London’s Fortune Theatre. Click here for more information.