
THE WOMAN IN BLACK (thriller)
Two actors relate a story of love and loss, building an atmosphere of terror
in the audience. The Woman in Black may or may not be present in the stalls
during the performance....
NOTE: Doors close 5 minutes before the advertised starting time at each
performance.
The show stars Stuart Fox as ‘Arthur Kipps’ and Matthew
Spencer as ‘The Actor’.
Having previously played the role of ‘Arthur Kipps’ at the Fortune Theatre and
during the UK Tour, Stuart Fox returns to “The Woman in Black”. His other West
End credits include “Woman in Mind” at the Vaudeville theatre, “The Normal
Heart” at the Royal Court, and “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” at the Fortune
Theatre. His other theatre credits include “Ten Times Table”, “The Last of the
Red Hot Lovers” and “Educating Rita” all at the The Mill at Sonning, and
“Springs Eternal”, “The Man Who Pays the Piper”, “The Stepmother”, “Sauce for
the Goose”, “Three Farces” and “Winter” all at the Orange Tree Theatre and
“After the Ball” at Theatre Upstairs Highgate.
Matthew Spencer has played the role of ‘The Actor’ at The Fortune Theatre and
during the UK Tour of “The Woman in Black”. His other West End credits include
“Amadeus” at the National Theatre, “1984” and the Almeida and Playhouse Theatre,
and “War Horse” at the New London Theatre. His other theatre credits include
“The Busy Body” at the Southwark Playhouse, “Bent” at the Trafalgar Studios, and
“Sleuth” and “Tartuffe” at the Watermill Theatre and UK Tour.
In June 2019 the show will celebrate its 30th Anniversary in London’s West End.
Stephen Mallatratt’s adaptation of Susan Hill’s best-selling novel tells the
story of a lawyer obsessed with a curse that he believes has been cast over his
family by the spectre of a ‘Woman in Black’. He engages a young actor to help
him tell his story and exorcise the fear that grips his soul. It begins
innocently enough, but as they delve further into his darkest memories, they
find themselves caught up in a world of eerie marshes and moaning winds. The
borders between make-believe and reality begin to blur and the flesh begins
creep.
The show is directed by Robin Herford, with designs by Michael Holt and lighting
by Kevin Sleep.
|
If you have ever read a Stephen King novel, Seen 'Psycho', or visited a
fairground 'Haunted House', you may just be psychologically equipped to deal
with the first few minutes of this thriller. After those though, you embark on
an ever rising learning curve of fear, with dazzling writing and perfect timing
from the actors drawing you towards the coldest chill in London theatre.
There is a good reason this play has run so long with little publicity:
anyone who stumbles in HAS to go back, this time bringing a friend for moral
support. Theatremonkey takes his psychiatrist to be on the safe side. Anyone
surviving unscarred can boast about it - precious few. See it.
|