The Woman in Black was adapted from a horror novel by Susan Hill written back in 1983. It was adapted into a movie in 2012 with Daniel Redcliffe as the billing cast and lead.
However, it was first adapted into a play in 1987 by Stephen Mallatratt and had been performing at the West End till March 2023. As one of the most enduring plays at the West End and the second longest running production of a non-musical, I without a doubt was totally intrigued when they announced the Sydney season with Daniel MacPherson and John Waters.
The stage was simple and unpretentious. Drapes from the ceiling to the stage floor, with grass like features at the stage front. Some simple household props scattered around on the stage (every piece of them was fully utilized for different staging), and that’s about it. The play is about the haunting of a ghost in a village seeking revenge on other villagers for decades. Your typical haunted ghost story so to say the least. So, I was wondering how they are going to pull off the scary bits, especially for someone who have seen so many horrors and thrillers over the years. I mean how can they make the retelling of another ghost story interesting on stage?
The play started unwittingly with John Waters coming on to the stage and mumbling and stumbling over a few lines. Just when I was wondering what was happening, everything suddenly became very clear. And it was at that moment that I realised that I was in for some ingenious staging and storytelling.
To be honest with you, for a seasoned horror movie goer, apart from the first out of nowhere loud noise (I was shocked than scare, thinking did a stage light fall or something?), the play was not scary at all. Though there were gasps and ‘Oh My God’ here and there throughout the show, they were not scary to me as I knew the formulas of horror storytelling too well. And when the moments of the scary elements arrived, I was totally prepared. However, it was not about how scary the staging was, but how clever the story was being told. The way it made this old as time horror story interesting to the audience in the theatre. That, I was impressed.
To be fair, while John Waters had a few moments to shine, I felt the play was more of a vehicle for Daniel MacPherson. John Waters was great in the production, and he delivered over and above what the material could give him, but it was hard to deny that Daniel MacPherson had the upper hand just with the materials he was given to in the play. I personally felt that there was an unbalance in the characters, especially being a two handler. Having said that, the interactions between the two actors on stage was natural, fluid and without any feeling that they were acting. Daniel MacPherson was full of energy, while John Waters was subdued in mannerism. Maybe it was because of this that I felt the unbalance, but ultimately it was tight and cohesive two handler presented by both actors.
One of the few things I usually pay attention to, was the props and stage usage when it comes to theatre productions. The Woman in Black did not deploy a whole heap of props, but every piece of them, well nearly every piece of them, were being utilized for a purpose, and I think that is very tight and controlled staging, as unnecessary cluttering on the stage will just be nothing but distraction, and, at least for me, leaving me wondering why they were there if left unused. The production also employed some standard staging techniques such as misting and projection of images to denote the change of environments, but they were done in a very succinct manner without distracting the audience. Every time a projection is needed, it just occupied enough space on the screen.
I enjoyed The Woman in Black completely despite I was not scared. Maybe going into the theatre wanting to be scared like in the movie cinema is not a fair game. However, not being scared by a horror play and I could still enjoy every moment of the performance is more than good enough for me.
