The Woman In Black Review

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We’ve all heard ghost stories wether they’ve been around a camp fire, or during a stay over with friends. And the horror genre has always maintained a strong position when it comes to favoured fiction. But why do we love ghost stories so much? I personally think that it’s because they're a temporary sort of terror which we have full control over, unlike other things in the world that scare us. They allow us to return to our world, however dreary, and ultimately they make us feel better about our lives as they remind us that things could be worse.

A paranormal story that has stood the test of time is The Woman In Black, which has returned to the Regent Theatre in Stoke On Trent for a week long stint.

Written by Susan Hill in 1983, and adapted for the stage by Stephen Mallatratt in 1987, It is the second longest-running play in the history of the West End after The Mousetrap.

And in February 2012, it was also brought to the big screen starring Harry Potter’s Daniel Radcliffe, albeit a very different version of the original novel.

Robert Goodale stars as Arthur Kipp, the troubled lawyer that approaches our young actor played by Anthony Eden, to help him tell his troubled story to his friends and family in order to exorcise his demons, especially one demon in particular, the woman in black.

The first half pretty much builds the foundations of the story, and you’ll go into the interval thinking that it was a fairly slow starter. However the second act really pushes it into a higher gear and Robert & Anthony’s skill as performers really breaks through.

Anthony makes it look easy, using the most basic props and a very minimal set to tell the story magnificently. And Robert morphs into a myriad of different characters throughout the tale, even narrating from the wings at some points. I’ve never seen two actors play a full cast before, and the fact that they made it work is simply amazing and a testament to their skill & talent.

Imagination is the key to enjoying this performance. Was it scary? For me, no it wasn’t. But there were certainly a lot of jumps and shrieks from the audience as the play progressed, so it definitely depends on how hardened you are to a good horror or thriller.

The one thing that did stand out for me with this production is that it was a theatrical master class, and after enduring months without a visit to the theatre, it reminded me that art has never been so important.

Verdict: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

It's playing at the Regent Theatre NOW until and including Saturday 2nd October. Tickets are on sale and are available from the Box Office, by calling 0844 871 7649 or visiting www.atgtickets.com/stoke

***Harmless stage smoke