The Woman In Black Fright Night

Just two actors and a vast array of stage tricks make up the Stephen Mallatratt-written stage production. The story is related as a reminiscence by Arthur Kipps (Malcolm James), who hires an actor (Mark Hawkins) to help him prepare to present his story to relatives in the theatre where we are sat. Initially, Arthur is stilted, almost comical, in his presentation, but when the actor suggests he tell the story and Arthur provides all the other characters involved in the tale, the story comes alive.

We are transported to Eel Marsh House, where Arthur, as a young man, was sent to manage the affairs of its deceased owner. Once there, we enter a world of rolling fog, rising tides, and quicksand where ghostly apparitions and things that go bump in the night abound.

Arthur Kipps is transformed from a mumbling nervous wreck by the addition of a pair of spectacles into a consummate actor, moving between numerous parts with ease, each with a distinct character. While the actor racks up the tension and fear, conveying the terror of a man trying to put a rational explanation to irrational events.

Robin Herford originally commissioned the show in 1987, and he has been involved throughout. Here,  he once again directs the action with a deft hand. Wonderfully supported by designer Michael Holt, lighting designer Kevin Sleep, Sebastian Frost in charge of sound, and stage manager Linnea Friden Gronning. The technical team is working wonderfully together with the cast to create the ghostly background of the play, all working in perfect harmony to ensure the audience is never sure where to look next.

The fact that the whole production has no music other than an old, ghostly music box at one point enhances the menace. This is an old-fashioned ghost story that one would tell around the campfire on a dark winter night, one that sends shivers down the spine and gets the hairs on the back of your neck standing on end. But it is a ghost story with a twist, and it invites the audience to add the ending of their choice.

The performance transported me back to my parents’ house and the fear I had as a young boy watching Dr Who and the Daleks hiding behind the settee, but in the theatre there’s no settee.

The fact that the play has been running for well over 30 years speaks for itself. Whilst not for the fainthearted, this is a production that I feel all theatre lovers should see to marvel at two consummate actors holding an audience in their thrall for 2 hours. I was assured that there was a third actor onstage, but I never saw them. However,  I did once or twice fancy I caught a glimpse of a ghostly shadow, or was that just a trick of the light? Remember, it is in simplicity that the real fear lies.

The Woman In Black Bradford Alhambra. Until 24th February