‘if the measure of success was how high the audience would jump out of their seats, then Stephen Mallatratt’s ingenious adaptation. . . continues to score highly’
After more than thirty-five years since its first staging, director Robin Herford’s gripping spine-chiller of a production continues to have audiences hooked and on the edge of their seats.
In an attempt to exorcise demons from his past, Kipps (Philip Stewart) enlists the support of an unnamed actor (Daniel Burke), to help tell the tale that has haunted him for the past thirty years in the hope of finally finding some peace.
With the staging of Kipps’ tale, in which the actor plays Kipps whilst Kipps portrays those that he encountered all those years ago, we are effectively presented with a play within a play as we travel north with the young Kipps to settle the affairs of a recently deceased widow, Alice Drablow.
But as things begin to go bump in the night, the real or imagined presence of an apparition – the woman in black – and a cacophony of squeaks and squeals, more often than not from the audience, raises one simple question: we don’t believe in ghosts, do we?
Michael Holt’s set design places us firmly in a theatre with little more than a few versatile props on a sharply raked stage in front of a shabby backcloth but with the introduction of Kevin Sleep’s inspired lighting design which magnificently draws out moments of light and dark, shadow and silhouette, and the accompaniment of Sebastian Frost’s intuitive soundscape that flits with every emotion and feeling, it becomes so much more as we are immersed simultaneously in places and spaces that we recognise but which clearly have a touch of the other world about them.
With a deceptive slow burner of a start, the action moves effortlessly forward with accomplished and believable performances from both Burke and Stewart with strong and imagined use of the props, although it seemed somewhat at odds with the plot that both were mic’d up.
The initial references to the play within the play got a little in the way at times but did eventually drop away as the story took off. Although some lengthy sections of narrative were well intended, I’m a firm believer in ‘show don’t tell’ and I would have preferred to see what was being described, something this skilful cast were more than capable of delivering.
If the measure of success was how high the audience would jump out of their seats, then Stephen Mallatratt’s ingenious adaptation of Susan Hill’s novel continues to score highly. One is however left to wonder about the nameless third member of this advertised two-hander: or maybe there really was nobody there after all…
The Woman in Black plays at Liverpool Playhouse through to Saturday 28th February. Further details and booking https://everymanplayhouse.com/event/the-woman-in-black/
The Woman in Black is touring at several other UK venues through to the end of April. Further details and booking https://thewomaninblack.com/tour-dates
Review Date: 24th February 2026
Star Rating: FOUR