When you hear audible gasps followed by nervous laughter, you know scary stuff on stage has triumphed. And that’s exactly what happened at Theatre Royal’s opening night of The Woman In Black. Even leaving the show, the surrounding chatter was all about “why did he close the door?” and “oh my god, I nearly died”. Satisfied patrons indeed.
The Woman in Black is no stranger to Sydney stages, having been performed multiple times, with this production featuring John Waters reprising his 2006 role as narrator Arthur Kipps, opposite The Actor played by Daniel MacPherson, who certainly proves (again) he’s come a long, long way since his debut in Neighbours.
Based on Susan Hill’s 1983 gothic horror novel, the two-man show is the second-longest running in West End history after Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap. The story centres on Arthur wanting to surprise family and friends on Christmas Eve when ghost stories are traditionally shared. He wants to relate his own real encounter with the supernatural, and calls on the services of a young actor to help him give the tale some flourish.
With Arthur narrating, The Actor adopts the role of a young Arthur sent as a solicitor 30 years ago to oversee the funeral of recently deceased client, Mrs Alice Drablow, and laboriously plow through her affairs in her desolate and very secluded Eel Marsh House. With Waters taking on different and entertaining local characters, and using imaginary props, (Spider the floofy dog is particularly endearing), we are successfully transported through haunted rooms, an eerie graveyard, boggy marshes, and even enjoy a ride in a horse and cart.
This is largely about our imagination and director Robin Herford taps into it brilliantly. There are plenty of jump-out-of-your-skin moments – scenes when audience members are gasping ‘no, don’t do it’ – along with comedic respites to ease the tension, followed by outright shocking developments when spooky turns to horror.
All of this is superbly brought to life by exceptional lighting (Kevin Sleep) and sound effects (Sebastian Frost), both of which expertly draw our focus to exactly where it should be, from clopping horses to busy city streets and yes, to spine-chilling shrieks making us jump. The set while simple, is tweaked enough to ignite our senses without taking away from the characters, leaving us knowing exactly where we are from scene to scene.
Meanwhile, Waters and Macpherson bounce off each other exquisitely, with Waters easing seamlessly into his various roles, his rich voice resonating easily from accent to accent, from wealthy landowner to surly pony trap driver, while Macpherson is as delightfully enthusiastic as he is stoic and methodical.
It is a bit of a slow burn getting to the action, despite Waters’ hilarious attempts in the beginning to provide an entertaining narrative and The Actor’s polite but pointed responses, but stick with it. You won’t be sticking quietly in your seats for long.
