The Woman In Black
Performance Times
Matinees: Thursday 3pm, Saturday 4pmEvenings: Tuesday to Saturday 8pm
Booking Until
15 December 2012Running Time
2 hoursSeating Plan
About The Show
Playing at the Fortune Theatre in London,The Woman in Black is a spine-chilling thriller set in Edwardian times. A young solicitor, Arthur Kipps, is sent to settle the estate of a mysterious client, Alice Drablow, who lived in a remote village on the northeast coast of England. Whilst attending her funeral, he sees a sallow woman dressed in black, whose appearance strikes the entire town with dread. He slowly begins to unravel the mystery behind the woman in black with terrifying consequences. Many years later, Kipps, now an old man, approaches an actor to tell his terrible tale, in the hopes that the ghostly woman can finally be laid to rest.
Target Audience
Perfect for anyone who likes a good fright, The Woman in Black is not for the faint of heart, but is an entertaining production for those who dare to see it.
Suitable For Children?
The Woman in Black is suitable for children aged 8 and up, but can be frightening, so parents are encouraged to use their discretion.
Type Of Show
The Woman in Black is a dark, psychological thriller. Based on the novel by Susan Hill, it is similar in tone to works like Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie.
News and Insights
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Group Bookings(16 Apr 2012)
For groups of 8 or more, a special group rate of £26 is available for all performances apart from Saturday evenings. To purchase tickets at this exclusive rate, call us on 020 7492 9930 (Monday to Friday 8am-8pm, Saturday 9am-7pm, Sunday 9am-4pm) or use our online group booking form.
- The Woman in Black Exam Revision(17 Apr 2012)
- Haunted Theatres in London(04 Apr 2012)
- The Woman in Black Famous Past Cast Members: Joseph Fiennes(13 Mar 2012)
- The Woman in Black: Play vs. Movie(13 Feb 2012)
Special Offers
Meal Deals
Dinner and ticket package deals are a great way to save money on your theatre trip. Each restaurant is close to the theatre and dinner is usually very cheap and sometimes free!
Day and Rush Seats
£22.50 standby tickets are available 1 hour prior to the performance for Job Seekers and Students
£25 standby tickets are available 1 hour prior to the performance for over 60's.
Standby tickets have limited availability and are sold on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Reviews
Long overshadowed by other long-running West End shows, such as Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera, and its suspense thriller peer, The Mousetrap, The Woman in Black has nonetheless been playing to packed houses for over twenty-three years since its premiere in 1989. Based on the novel by Susan Hill, this is a fine example of mystery theatre at its shock-producing best.
Playwright Stephen Mallatratt adapts the novel for the stage by adding a play-within-a-play element. Ageing solicitor, Arthur Kipps, approaches an actor to stage a reading of his manuscript, which documents his terrifying experience as a younger man. When sent to settle the estate of the recently deceased Alice Drablow, Kipps comes face-to-face with the woman in black, whose appearance strikes dread into the heart of this remote village on the coast of England. As he delves deeper into the mystery surrounding this woman, Kipps uncovers her secret with horrific consequences.
The play-within-a-play conceit works well eventually, but we first have to get through nearly twenty minutes of exposition, as Kipps hems and haws over whether he can cope with reliving the horrors of his story. As a result, it takes a while to become engrossed in the tale, but the play picks up the pace considerably once both characters are fully immersed in the plot. The setup also allows us to forgive the minimal staging and provides one crucial final twist.
With David Acton and Ben Deery as Kipps and the actor, respectively, the production is essentially a two-man show, and these performers rise to the challenge with aplomb. They are both masters of storytelling, and are able to build considerable tension and an overwhelming sense of panic without descending into histrionics. There’s some able stagecraft at work here too, with lighting and scrims being used to create a palpable feeling of suspense. There are many genuinely startling and disturbing moments, and whilst this play isn’t necessarily the model of British literature that the GCSE board deems it to be, it’s an entertaining piece that offers something different to the West End theatre scene.
Where I sat: C17-18 in the Upper Circle. Whilst I could see most of the stage, I felt fairly cut off from the action, and I missed some moments that were played far upstage. The production relies on the atmosphere it builds, so I would definitely recommend paying a bit extra for good stalls or royal circle seats.
Recommended: Yes, if you like theatrical thrillers, this is your best bet in town.
"...The shrieks and gasps that greet the performance demonstrate that, even in the twenty-first century, this doughty little drama still casts its delicious spell of malevolence and menace."
Sam Marlowe, Time Out
"It may be celebrating its 15th year in the West End but ten minutes before curtain-up, the mid-week box office queue for this ‘vintage thriller to cherish’ still spilled out onto the pavement. Stephen Mallatratt’s adaptation of the novel by Susan Hill remains a genuine, copper-bottomed audience-pleaser."
John Martland, The Stage
"One of the most brilliantly effective spine-chillers you will ever encounter."
Charles Spencer, The Daily Telegraph
"The Woman in Black shows no sign of closing, and with good reason. It's a cracker...a marvellous exercise in spine tingling tension, spun from perfectly paced storytelling and stagecraft."
David Benedict, The IndependentVideo
