1. Woman in Black Review
On Wednesday the 18th of April, I went to see ‘Women in Black’ with Cranford Community
College. The play started around 8 ‘o’ clock at the Fortune theatre.
The Woman in Black is a play about a solicitor called Arthur Kipps who visits Eel Marsh
House in order to get the paperwork of an old lady who lived there and has now died. When
he arrives he finds that the people who live in the town seem reluctant to talk about the
history behind Eel Marsh. After spending a night in the house Arthur realises that it is
haunted by the ghost of a young woman with a sunken face dressed in black.
The set was very simple, there was a large basket at the back, a chair to the left and a
clothes rack to the far left. The main set didn’t change much throughout the play but other
aspects were brought in. The set gave the impression that the play would be very simple as it
wasn’t a complicated set. I thought that the play would centre more around the characters
and story as they didn’t give away much with the set that was laid out at the beginning.
Although it was simple, the set created quite a tense atmosphere as you didn’t know what
expect so anything could have happened. One moment when the set changed was when
Arthur Kipps was inside Eel Marsh and heard a banging so went to explore. He walked
behind the sheet at the back of the stage and there was a child’s bedroom behind it.This set
was the most detailed one we saw as it had a wardrobe, bed, rocking chair and toys, so this
showed to the audience that it was an important place. This set change was simple and only
took place with the man walking so this was effective as it didn’t waste time. Also, it felt like
the audience were part of the story as we discovered the room at the same time as Arthur.
The lighting was also effective. For example, when Arthur was behind the screen the lighting
was dim. This meant that we could see what he was doing but couldn’t see much of the
surrounding area. This was effective as it meant that the Woman in Black could come out at
any time and the audience wouldn’t see her arrive. Another time when lighting was effective
was the difference in lighting between the rehearsal stage and the story stage. The rehearsal
light was very bright which was effective as it made it obvious to the audience which part of
the production you were watching at different times. This made the whole play easier to
follow.
One moment were sound was used effectively was when Arthur was in the carriage going to
Eel Marsh. The sound was of horse’s hooves and a carriage driving through mud. This made
picturing the scene easier and meant that they didn’t need a big set change as the noise let
us imagine it all. Another effective sound was the train recording. This was the sound of the
train on the tracks and was played during Arthur’s journey to the town. This was effective as
it made the journey more believable as the men were only sitting on chairs and the basket.
This, again, made it easier to imagine the train and surrounding set without a big set change.
The man playing the actor helping old Arthur changed character effectively. When he played
young Arthur his voice was timid and shy, he was a polite man and showed this through his
body language which was confident but wasn’t confrontational or too arrogant. When he was
the actor his body language was very upright showing his inner confidence. Also his voice
became much louder and self-assured showing that he was happier to take charge in the
situation. When playing Arthur he addressed the audience a lot when talking about how he
felt. This kept the audience involved and meant we felt like part of the play rather than just
Zahra Printer

2. watching a story unfold. For example, when he had his first experience at Eel Marsh, the
next morning he addressed the audience saying he felt the need to go back to the house and
finish the job.
The actor playing old Arthur Kipps showed his old age by hunching his back and moving
slowly on stage. This showed us he was an old man but also that he had been affected by
certain things in his life. When speaking his voice was timid and quiet which showed us that
he wasn’t used to performing but telling his story was very important to him. When changing
character from old Arthur to Mr Daley he was very effective. When he became Mr Daley he
walked with a cane but his body language was still more confident and self-assured than it
was as Arthur. He spoke with a loud, clear voice showing he wasn’t afraid to voice his
opinions. When character switching he would narrate parts of the story to the audience while
changing costume. This was effective because it meant things were still happening on stage
while he was switching which kept the audience’s interest throughout the play.
The actress playing the Woman in Black was only seen on stage a few times. This meant her
role was effective as it kept the audience on the edge of their seats as they were wondering
when she would appear again. When she moved her actions were controlled and severe
showing that she wasn’t completely human. This made her role effective as it gave her a
scarier edge to the role and made the audience cower away from her.
Tension was built through the play by the use of sound, for example the rocking chair. This
was a simple, non-threatening sound but when put in to that situation it became terrifying. It
was effective as it drew the audience in to wondering what had caused the sound. Tension
was also built through the short appearances of the woman. These created tension as the
audience was left to wonder when she would arrive again so they were always on the edge
of their seats. This gave a tense and scary atmosphere to the overall production.
One scene I thought was very good in the production was the scene when young Arthur first
discovered the locked door. The light was all down apart from a spotlight on Arthur. Tension
was built up through the scene as the actor moved slowly closer towards the door. When he
reached the door a loud, high pitched scream was played that didn’t have a source we could
see on stage. This made the audience scared and most of them jumped. I liked this scene
because it was effective in serving its purpose. It made the audience scared and put them on
the edge of their seats for the rest of the production.
I thought the first half of the production was a bit slow in pace. It was setting up the story line
so not much happened as it need to create a foundation for the second half. A scene I didn’t
think was very effective was the scene where Arthur was in his boss’s office and was being
told his job. This scene was talking with no action which made it slightly boring to watch on
stage. It was needed to set up the story but became a bit dull to watch after a while.
Overall I thought the production came across in the way that the director would have wanted
it to. It entertained and scared the audience which is what I think the director would have
wanted it to do as it was a horror story. I think the most effective part of the production was
the character switching as it was done effectively and clearly but interesting things were still
happening on stage while they switched. I think the least effective part of the production was
the transitions between scenes as sometimes it was a little unclear what scene was
happening and in what time. To conclude, I enjoyed the production and thought it was
effective in serving its purpose as a horror story.
Zahra Printer