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Terror all
in the mind The Woman
in Black Malvern
Theatres ****
WITH only two actors on a bare stage, my first impression was
that it would take a lot for this gothic horror play to frighten me. I
couldn't have been more wrong as the tension mounted through the first
half and continued with spine-tingling suspense until it reached a
heart-pounding, grim finale. Over the two hour show, I was gripped and
terrified to the point of practically biting my nails to the quick. The
anticipation was thrilling. Susan Hill's novella first
haunted readers when it was published in 1983. It then moved on to
frighten theatre-goers with this adaptation by Stephen Mallatratt in
1989, which stays true to the essence of the novel. Since then it has
also seen a revival through the cinema with a recent film starring
Daniel Radcliffe. The play takes on a slightly
different storyline from the book, but in a clever way that actually
makes more sense in a theatre setting and even adds a further chilling
twist. Instead of just the ghost story, it moves the young man from the novel, Kipps, forward in time to old age, when he is hiring an actor to help him recreate his memoirs of encountering the mysterious 'woman in black'. Julian Forsyth and Antony Eden the space and two hours with a world of characters The shy, unassuming elderly
man says it is to help him "purge his soul" and "finally sleep at night"
- a big clue that this going to be a bumpy night. It is the gradual acting out
of the diary, a play within a play, that unravels the full extent of the
horror. It emerges that as a young lawyer, Kipps was sent to the funeral
of a woman who had lived an isolated life in Eel Marsh House. The local
villagers are strangely muted and unhelpful, while the house turns out
to have its own macabre history. What makes this play extra
special is that all the parts are played by only the two actors on
stage, with only scant props and some sound and lighting effects. Any
weakness on stage would have left the audience bored or confused, but
the excellent abilities of Julian Forsyth and Antony Eden made it seem
like there were more actors present. Swiftly transforming between
characters, they mesmerised from start to finish. Cunningly, the frighteners
came mostly from what you couldn't see. The shadows, the noises from
behind the locked door, the tricks your mind plays on you. This play shows just how
powerful and psychological good acting and directing can be. A play that
everyone should see. To 18-05-13. Alison
Brinkworth
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