Janet Dibley Back In Yorkshire In Spine-Tingler

The original inspiration for Susan Hill’s The Woman in Black, Henry James’s classic ghost story The Turn of the Screw, comes to York Theatre Royal from 21 May to 1 June, in a haunting new adaptation by Tim Luscombe, directed by Daniel Buckroyd.

Janet Dibley, born and bred in Doncaster, takes the leading role of the young governess charged with looking after two orphaned children, in Bly, in the 1840s. All is not as it seems, however, in what initially appears to be an idyllic country house. There are ghostly hints of a troubled past, and she will have to endure unspeakable horror to keep the children safe, an experience which will haunt her for the rest of her life.

Very familiar to television audiences, Janet Dibley gained national fame playing Elaine in ITV's The Two of Us, the hugely popular sit-com about a co-habiting couple, also featuring Nicholas Lyndhurst. Among notable roles, she played Linda in The Gingerbread Girl, a series about a single mother trying to raise her daughter and Lorna Cartwright in EastEnders, before starring in the BBC drama The Chase, and then becoming a regular in the daytime soap Doctors as a memorable Dr. Elaine Cassidy. Later this year she will be back on screen in the BBC’s Shakespeare and Hathaway.

The cast also features Maggie McCarthy, last seen at the Theatre Royal in Sandi Toksvig’s comedy Silver Lining; Amy Dunn and Elliot Burton.

The big question when being held spellbound by the novel is whether the Governess is mad or if the ghosts really exist? This production promises to throw light on a mystery that has been perplexing Henry James' readers and scholars ever since the book appeared. Don’t miss this edge-of-the-seat thriller and prepare to have your spine tingled!