Critical essay on the theatre visit to see 'The Woman In Black'

Critical essay on the theatre visit to see ‘The Woman In Black’- November 2001

The play ‘The Woman in Black’ was written in 1987 by Stephen Mallatratt and is set in the inter-war period in England. The set, costume and colours used were all from this period all reflected this period. The play is based on the novel written by Susan Hill and has been showing at the Fortune Theatre for over twelve years.

The stage was split into three in order to make the most of the limited space provided. A gauze sheet that allowed the set behind the gauze to be hidden unless a light was on the set separated each section of the stage. The set was also able to change from one location to another with the removal of a sheet or changing the position of a basket. The basket was the focal point of the set, and showed clearly where the play was located in each scene. It changed from being a case for papers, to a table, from a bed to a horse carriage and from an altar to a train seat. The different uses of the basket were effective and focused the audience to the location of the scene.

The play was held at the Fortune Theatre. It is a small theatre with both a small auditorium and a small front of house. The small auditorium allowed the whole audience to be close to the performance and it meant that any sound and visual effects such as the use of a smoke machine, were more intense building a greater tension. A larger theatre would have meant that the audience would have been able to escape from the action and withdraw from intensity of the play as the sound and visual effects would have been dispersed and lost in the auditorium.

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As the play began set in a theatre, with the whole theatre being used as the set. As the play was set in a situation that the audience could immediately relate to, the set was less of an issue and the acting and other effects became the main focus. Throughout the first half of the play the focus was on humour, seducing the audience into the ‘willing suspension of disbelief’, which caused the dramatic effects in the second half of the play to take effect and work to their utmost.

As the play developed, so did the special ...

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As the play developed, so did the special effects, causing the tension and suspense to grow along side. The Actor introduced new sound effects (these were very primitive to begin with, for example, a bird singing and people laughing). The ever present humour between The Actor and Mr. Kipps caused the audience to be in the ‘willing suspension of disbelief’, as the audience was able to relate themselves to the humour. The train journey north was the starting point for dramatic tension, and was the first time that the audience gasped with surprise. The gobo wheel produced the light and appearance of a moving train as it passed through a tunnel. The sudden change from strong lightening to concentrated and focused lighting was a shock and unexpected occurrence, and this effect of producing expected and surprising occurrences was to be a main feature of the play. The particular unexpected nature of the train moving through the tunnel was a way of showing the audience that this journey north would not be a good thing.

The play increased its tension at the funeral. The appearance of ‘The Woman in Black’, walking through the auditorium, amongst the audience then onto the stage, caused the whole auditorium to feel cold and uninviting. The change in tempo from the fast train to the slow pace of the haunting appearance of the ghost built the tension due to the inability to predict the play due to the constant change in tempo.

Other effects that built the tension were the repetitive use of the sound effects such as the sound of the horse and carriage crossing the gorse-way and drowning. This repetitive use of the sound effects caused the audience to be unable to tell whether the sound of the horse and carriage was that of safety or that or danger. It was a horse and carriage that save Mr. Kipps each time but also the ghostly appearance of the horse and carriage that haunted him. The uncertainty of the outcome of the horse and carriage was a very powerful tool that was used and built the tension to a dramatic climax successfully. The use of the smoke machine allowed the audience to experience the feelings of Mr. Kipps as the smoke completing obscured the view of the stage. This meant that the audience began to breathe a lot heavier than before because they were unable to see what was happening allowing things to happen that they were unaware of.

The use of the narrator involved the audience as he directly spoke to the audience and explained or left anything unexplained to increase the tension and allow the audience to know certain things about the plot at the right moments. The narrator also gave the audience someone in which to relate to, someone who was not directly involved with the action of the play. The voice of the narrator was also used to build the sound; he spoke alongside the sound effects, building the energy and intensity of the atmosphere.

The overall tension was built by using the sound effects such as the rocking chair, the use of the gobo wheel and the changes in tempo caused dramatic responses by the audience. On at no less than four occasions the whole audience screamed with fear and shock caused by the amazing build in tension. The focused acting and in-depth characterisation of each of the characters intensified the tension. Both actors played at least two characters and had to change between each character at the click of a finger, however there was never any confusion between the characters that they were playing.

The strongest moment of the play and the most dramatic was the climax of the play. The image of ‘The Woman in Black’ rocking in the rocking chair, her thinning face full of anger and hatred and Mr. Kipps staring at her in shear fright and panic. The tormenting sound of the violent rocking of the rocking chair, the sound of the musical box, the crying of the baby and the commentary of the narrator escalated any previous tension that had been built into one moment. The audience screamed, gasped and sunk back into their seats with fear. The anger in the woman’s face and the sound of the violent rocking chair has remained in my mind, so therefore I feel that it is the strongest moment.

In contrast to this dramatic and tormenting scene, I do not feel that there is a particular weak moment in the play that stood out in my mind. The superb acting and simple but effective sound effects eventuated with a dramatic and very successful performance that is not easy to fault. The performance worked so well that I left the theatre having been scared in a way that I have never been scared before. No film or play previous to this performance has left me with a permanent image, but this performance of ‘The Woman in Black’ left me with the image of the face of the woman in any dark area. The impact of the play on the audience that evening was immense and unlike anything that I have experienced before, the simplicity of the play alongside superb acting caused this reaction to the play. It is an amazing play and it is possible to see why it has been so success for thirteen years and is likely to continue in the same way for many years to come.