Throughout the show we see many props and sets but I feel that the set that really caught me eye was the locked door. The scene where the door is first seen is very dramatic and holds tension as Kipps can’t get through it and you don’t know what on the other side. I think that the reason why this scene is so good is because the use of light. Light plays a big part as from blackout a red spot light gradually fades up to show this locked door that comes from no where.
Another dramatic piece of lighting is when Kipps is trying to get to sleep. There is no really light on Kipps except a flash light that he is carrying around. Going mad he keeps flicking the light about into the audience when he sits down he catches a slight glimpse of the woman in black. I feel that this is effective as the audience keeps looking around as you don’t know where the woman in black could be standing. When you do finally see her you only see half of her face lite and she is looking directly into the audience. This is effective as even though the audience is expecting to see her the way her face is lite allows her to escape without anybody seeing her.
Another main element that worked well was the use of sound. Sounds were used though out the show to create tension, to symbolise objects and to show other peoples thoughts. To create tension simple everyday objects were used. For example a musical jewellery box in the child’s room was used from silence and was slowly faded in to the sound of ‘Go to sleep’. This was effective as many people could relate to having one similar and it also create a scary atmosphere as you don’t know how the box was opened. An additional sound was the use of a train. This was also used with light to create the elution of the train going through a tunnel. This allowed the viewers to feel that they were going through a tunnel and was near the destination needed.
Many special effects were used throughout the performance but the one effect that stood out the most for me was the use of the smoke machine. This made the atmosphere very tense as when smoke it normally used it means that something bad is going to happen. The smoke also made you believe that you were in actually with the actors in the fog of the marshes.
Costume played a major part in the show as it allowed the audience to see that the actors had changed characters. The simplest costume was worn by the woman in black, it consisted of a black Victorian styled dress and a black bonnet which held mystery about the woman as you couldn’t really see her face. Both Mr Kipps and Sam daily have many costume changes but they have the same suit on at all times and only the jacket and accessories are changed. As a result of this it allows the characters to change onstage, it is also an advantage as well as there are only two characters anyway.
Some parts of the play become very confusing no one plays their character. What I mean by this is that the real Mr Kipps plays every character but himself and the actor retells Mr Kipps’s story. Even though this occurs I still feel that the storyline is presented in a way that can still be followed. As we are introduced to many characters the use of dialect and accents are used. An example for this is when the use of accent is changed from London to country side. Another is when Miss Drablow’s name comes up the villagers always seemed to go quite and talk about a different subject as soon as possible. One of the main ways in which tension is created with in the play is the use of silence and how effects are suddenly added to scare the audience.
I think that the show wouldn’t have been as good if the relationship between the two main characters hadn’t of become strong. When we are first introduced to the two actors we see that they don’t see eye to eye from the word go as Mr Kipps thinks that his story is going to become a public show. Later on in the story both character start showing respect for each other. For example Sam starts to respect Mr Kipps as he now starts to realise how much he has suffered through the years on his own.
Through some of the play the audience is introduced to the technique of sub-text. One example of this is the funeral of Miss Drablow when Mr kipps asks Drown if he is alright. Of course Drown says he is fine but it is made clear to the audience that he is the complete opposite. Another example is the use of Miss Drablows name. Whenever her name was mentioned everyone went quite when asked what was wrong Mr Kipps could never get a straight answer from any of the residences.
I feel that the best bit of text that was highlighted to the audience was the letters that had been sent between Miss Drablow and her sister. The effect was done by Mr Kipps starting to read the letter with the woman in black’s voice slowly coming over the top and finally taking over. This was a significant piece of text because it’s allowed the audience to find out who the woman in black was and why she haunted the house. With the way in which it was read also helped you to get involved with the play as it made you think that she was actually sitting there reading her view.
Before seeing the play I wasn’t really scared as from reading the book there didn’t seem to be anything that really jumped out at me and add to the tension. But watching the play was a totally different experience. After seeing the Woman In Black walk through the audience you are constantly looking around making sure she wasn’t going to jump out on you. The tension and gloomy atmosphere is helped by the audience as when one person screams it makes the whole of the audience scream like a domino effect.
The best bit of the play that most stood out for me was the destruction of the child’s room. From the first time you see the room you instantly fall in love with it as it is the perfect room for a little child. Everything looks as if the play is finally going to have some sort of happy ending until we see the room again and everything as been turned up side down with only the small jewellery box playing. The most important visual moment for me was the last viewing of the Woman In Black. When Mr Kipps thanks Sam for all his work you feel that you are not going to see the woman again and this allows the audience to be caught off guard. In a result of this the finally image of the whole show is of the Woman In Black in a dim white light that only allows you to see a slight glimpse of her face.
I think that the theatre show allows you to have a better understanding of the storyline instead of the book because in the show you are more involved and there is more of an atmosphere. Whereas in the book you start to become bored which means some people lose their concentration, another reason is that there isn’t the same atmosphere that keeps the audience engaged.
