The Woman In Black .  Theatre Royal, Nottingham

Very few plays are worthy of the title ‘theatrical behemoth,’ but Susan Hill’s acclaimed spectre-filled spooktacular The Woman In Black is most certainly one of them. Based on the book of the same name (published in 1983), the stage play, adapted by Stephen Mallatratt, was first performed in Scarborough before graduating to the West End Stage in 1989. It retains the honour of being one of the longest running plays in the West End even though, after 33 years at the Fortune Theatre, the curtain finally came down on the production on 4^th March 2023. I have a real affection for this play, because it was the first thing I ever saw on stage in London.

The plot is fiendishly straightforward – Arthur Kipps, a solicitor of some experience attempts to exorcise himself of a long-buried terror by recounting a haunting experience from his younger days. With the help of an enthusiastic actor, his simple storytelling exercise transforms into a chilling reenactment of his never to be forgotten journey to a fog-shrouded village and the isolated Eel Marsh House, where he first glimpsed a mysterious woman dressed head to toe in black. As the tale unfolds, the ghost’s tragic past comes to life, revealing that her appearances always foreshadow disastrous events for those unfortunate enough to behold her. By the end of their simple performance, the boundary between memory and reality collapses, proving that some ghosts – and some events – refuse to stay in the past.

John Mackay’s Mr Kipps is pitch perfect from the outset. He is without doubt a clipped, professional man of law – trustworthy, reliable and engaging. Mackay walks the line between the performance of the past and the present to perfection. His Kipps is simultaneously reliving trauma and being consumed by it in real time. It is his emotional unravelling that lends the piece its heart and drives so much of the tension throughout. Mackay’s ability to switch between characterisations, accents and moods is second to none.

Daniel Burke’s actor is the perfect foil to Mackay’s Kipps, bringing theatricality and flamboyance, not to mention an air of suspicious cynicism that all adds to the thrill of the denouement. The two men have an excellent chemistry which draws the audience in, making the storytelling a true coup de theatre!

Kevin Sleep deserves high praise indeed for an excellent lighting design on this production. The light does so much of the work in locating us in time and space. Light is also effectively taken away at all the right moments. Coupled with an eerie and very clever split stage design (Michael Holt) and a soundscape to give you nightmares (thank you Sebastian Frost!), this two hander really lives up to its chiller-thriller reputation. Well, I say two hander. There is a third character within the play, and believe you me, you’ll not miss her. She drifts in and out like a living shadow, rarely drawing attention to herself yet instantly commanding it, her appearance sending a jolt of dread through player and audience alike. Although she never speaks a word, her story is told loud and clear. I’ve searched my programme high and low and cannot find any reference to the artist performing her. Suffice to say she never misses her mark, takes the final bow, and will definitely be the one you go home talking about!

All told, the storytelling this evening is remarkable. The stagecraft is impeccable. I enjoy it even more than I did as a kid, seeing the nuances all the more clearly now. This is a play that will likely make you jump – but it will also make you think, as the past crashes alarmingly into the present. I can only hope there’s no woman in black loitering menacingly behind me in the queue for the car park.

The Woman In Black requests the pleasure of your company at the Theatre Royal Nottingham all week until Saturday 14^th March.