Ghost stories have been around for a long time, and they have a power to stick, lingering in the memory and haunting the mind over and over again. This latest production in Sydney coming at the end of an Australian tour is no different, leaving the audience to wonder how were they so affected by a story that’s been treading the boards for a considerable amount of time. The Woman in Black was originally conceived as a horror novel, written by Susan Hill in 1983. Since then the terrifying story has been the second longest-running play in the history of the West End, after The Mousetrap. It’s also been a television film and and second film adaption in 2012 starring Daniel Radcliffe, and now it’s coming to the end of a highly successful tour of Australia, finishing off in Sydney with a bang. Literally.
Irresistible first saw the production in London more years ago than we’d care to admit, but it hasn’t not dimmed in its power to surprise and be genuinely scary. The audience is whooping and jumping out of their seat throughout the tightly held and technically slick performance, held in the grip of the narrators from the get-go. The excellent sound design helps, as does the eerie lighting, forcing a focus of attention as you have to strain just a little to see what is going in the shadows. The stage direction has been honed down to perfection, and it works.
Starring John Waters (Doctor Doctor, Offspring, Rake) and Daniel MacPherson (Land of Bad, Foundation, Neighbours)
Presented by PW Productions, Woodward Productions and Neil Gooding Productions.
NOW ON IN SYDNEY
Theatre Royal, King Street
Playing to 17 August
John Waters first starred in the play in 2006, and he expertly delivers a performance of a man urgently trying to rid himself of a curse, setting up a classic play-within-a-play structure with aplomb. He deftly switches between his characters, demonstrating the physical and vocal agilities that have made him so well known. Daniel MacPherson flexes his dramatic muscles and takes us on the rollercoaster with him, starting out an observer vaguely amused by the tale, to a passionate storyteller getting lost in the cold, foggy and sea-swept market town of Crythin Gifford, somewhere in a bleak part of northeast England. It’s a great night out and perfect for a winter treat. This particular ghost story shows no signs of being put back in its box.
