Review

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH
July 9, 2006
Diana Simmonds

All fright on the night for ghost tale THE Woman in Black has been running in London's West End for 19 years with no sign of running out of steam. To tell you why would be to spoil a treat.

Okay, it's a ghost story; it's set in a crumbling mansion amid the foggy murk of eastern England's marshes; one man is trying to exorcise personal ghosts; another - a theatre director - is trying to help him by re-enacting his nightmare.

The Woman in Black was adapted by the late Stephen Mallatratt from Susan Hill's novella. Some tongue-in-cheek humour and cunning tricks are employed to suck in the unsuspecting audience.

Two fine actors (John Waters and Brett Tucker) cleverly conjure a cast of hundreds, plus all the atmosphere and intrigue necessary to scare everybody. Don't let anyone tell you more - except to add that most of the audience shuffles out at the end giggling the nervous giggles of those whose hair has been standing on end, with hearts still in fight-or-flight mode.

The Woman in Black, Theatre Royal to July 16, then touring nationally; Ticketek: 1300 552 072 Or www.ticketek.com.au