
Photo by Michael Brosilow
Mark Hawkins and Ben Porter in Milwaukee Repertory Theater's 'The Woman in Black'
“It must be told. I cannot carry the burden any longer,” pleads a desperate Arthur Kipps to The Actor stranding before him. “It must be told.”
What “must be told” are the mysterious events buried within the superb Gothic horror thriller, The Woman in Black at the Milwaukee Rep’s Stiemke Studio.
Now an elderly retired attorney, Kipps asks The Actor for help by revisiting the supernatural circumstances of what happened to Kipps and his family many years earlier. Convinced it’s a curse, Kipps believes that telling the story is the only way to exorcise the ghost that haunts him in his nightmares: “The Woman in Black.”
The play was adapted in 1987 by Stephen Mallatratt based on the 1983 novel of the same name by Susan Hill. And it’s easy to see why it became a hit and played for many years on London’s west End; it’s as terrific as it is terrifying.
Director Robin Herford uses the intimacy of the Stiemke Studio to great—and sinister—effect; the audience is within arm’s reach of the isolating fog that suffocates the decaying mansion, Eel Marsh House. A young Kipps uses the entire theater space to search for the origin of the strange sounds emanating from within the rooms . And as necks turn and crane to follow, anything can happen—and does—the gloom and doom of the impenetrable darkness that is everywhere, literally and figuratively.
Within this well-staged production, there is nothing scarier than our own imaginations as the malevolent remembrances of things past return to haunt the unsuspecting young man who must attend his client’s funeral and search through her personal papers. The locals are frightened as soon as his plans are known. No one will even acknowledge why, which makes this tale all the more fascinating to watch as the winds moan, and the marsh fog descends only adding to the confusion and uncertainty of his mission.
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No spoilers here; the story and the show are just too good and frankly, shocking. But Sebastian Frost’s sound effects coupled with Anshuman Bhatia’s igniting design tautly build the tension to its breaking point and horrifying conclusion. Yup, the stuff of nightmares, as Arthur Kipps knows also too well.
But it’s the fantastic acting that truly makes The Woman in Black so realistic and believable in this bone-chilling ghost story. Three actors play the two roles of Kipps and The Actor in repertory. At opening night’s performance, Ben Porter played Kipps and Mark Hawkins played The Actor. (David Acton is the third actor in the production). As the two play a variety of roles in the telling of Kipps’ story, they assume other characters with effortless ease and familiarity, seamlessly moving back and forth, a hallmark of the very best of their profession.
And “The Woman in Black’? Her’s is a tale of inconsolable grief that metastasizes into uncontrollable revenge. Best left to see and hear in this stellar production at the Rep. And once her tale is told, the lights do come back on. Thankfully.
The Woman in Black runs through March 23 in the Stiemke Studio. Running time: two hours including a 20-minute intermission. Recommended for ages 12 and up. For more information, call the Rep Box Office: (414) 224-1761 or visit milwaukeerep.com.