Review: Woman in Black at the Norwich Theatre Royal

So starts the story of the Woman in Black and how, 30 years prior, Arthur’s encounter with a mysterious spectre transformed his life.

Not many plays can keep an audience enraptured with just two actors – Arthur Kipps, played by Malcolm James, and The Actor, played by Mark Hawkins – but their talent, combined with superb lighting and sound, creates a funny, tense and, at times, terrifying production that keeps a packed auditorium gripped.  

The Woman in Black has been terrifying audiences since 1987 (Image: Mark Douet)

The Woman in Black was first performed in 1987 and it is easy to see why this West End hit is still going strong nearly 40 years later.

Adapted by Stephen Mallatratt from Susan Hill’s 1983 novel of the same name, the play tells Arthur’s story of how as a young solicitor he was sent to an isolated part of the country to sort through the private papers of the recently deceased reclusive widow Mrs Drablow.

The play focuses on an older Arthur who, working with an actor he hired to help, recounts his tale; revealing the characters he met and his sightings of the vengeful ghost of the woman in black.

Over two hours the audience discovers what happened to Arthur during his stay at Mrs Drablow’s deserted house and why the Woman in Black terrifies all who see her.

Classic gothic tropes, including nightmares, suspense and death, intermixed with humour and modern visual productions all work together to make this a truly creepy and atmospheric play that shouldn’t be missed.