The Woman in Black
By Stephen Mallatratt
Based on the book by Susan Hill
Directed by Rachel Tibbetts
Slightly Askew Theatre Ensemble
October 30, 2013
B. Weller, Jared Sanz-Agero
Photo by Joey Rumpell
RumZoo Photography
The lights go up on the stage of an old-fashioned theatre, where a solitary and obviously nervous man stands alone, reading from a manuscript in a sometimes halting, sometimes rapid-fire monotone, whereupon he is interrupted by a professional actor, who then proceeds to demonstrate how to present the story. This seems like the setup for a comedy, but it’s actually just the beginning of the increasingly suspenseful horror story The Woman in Black, presented at The Chapel by Slightly Askew Theatre Ensemble as the latest entry in their “Season of the Monster”. The “monster” in this case is taken more literally than in some other plays in the series, in that this is a classic ghost story, and SATE, as usual, presents the material in a thoroughly engrossing manner.
A play like this is kind of difficult to write about, since saying too much about what happens would spoil too much of the plot, but the basic story is about Arthur Kipps (B. Weller), a man with a traumatic story to tell but with no real skills to tell it, and so he enlists an Actor (Jared Sanz-Agero) to help him tell the story which involves Kipps in his younger years and a small town mystery and legend about the ghostly appearance of a Woman in Black (Shelby Partridge). Through the course of the story, the Actor takes on the role of the younger Kipps, while the older Kipps plays all the other roles and seems to really get the hang of this “acting” thing, which provides some truly entertaining comic moments as well as the dramatic and downright scary.
This play scared the living daylights out of me. Seriously, it did. I admit I’m something of a wimp when it comes to horror, but I’m usually not as squeamish with ghost stories as with other types of horror shows, and this was terrifying, in an old-fashioned creepy, shivers-down-your-spine sort of way. The tone and build-up of this story are among its highlights of this production, in that it starts out light and gets ever so much darker as the story unfolds, and the pace is maintained well by the extremely small cast. It’s a deceptive tone in a way, in that it doesn’t seem like it’s going to be all that scary at first, and then the ghostly creepiness starts it gets all the more frightening, and you never know when you might see or hear something spooky. The fact that the action is not confined to the stage adds to the atmosphere, and especially for audience members who sit along the aisles–watch out! This is not an over-the-top scarefest, though, but a suspenseful and truly creepy ghost story, and for me, it was very effective.
B. Weller, as Kipps, has the challenging job of playing an inexperienced and downright bad actor at the beginning of the play, and then taking on various wildly differing roles as the Actor (Jared Sanz-Agero) takes over Kipps’s role in telling his story. Weller seamlessly transitions from role to role in a chamelion-like fashion, displaying a variety of ages and accents in a remarkable, energetic performance. He commands the stage and makes every one of his many characters compelling and believable. It’s a remarkably strong performance, and Sanz-Agero portrays the confident Actor and the increasingly less confident younger Kipps convincingly as well. I especially liked one moment relatively early on where the ghost story elements start to emerge, and Sanz-Agero’s reaction (as both Kipps and the Actor playing him) to a sight that startles him as both characters simultaneously. These actors have to carry the whole show, basically, and they do so very well.
The Chapel is a small space, and this production uses it well, with the audience brought into the action and not just watching it. The stage is made up to look like an old-fashioned theatre complete with red velvet curtain and footlights, filled with furniture draped in white fabric. Kudos to Scenic and Lighting Designer Bess Monynihan for such an atmospheric set. The lighting, emphasizing shadows and adding to the spooky tone, is also excellent, and the sound effects (courtesy of Sound Designer Ellie Schwetye) add just the right amount of atmosphere and creepiness. When I saw it, there were a few few small “opening night” issues that should be worked out as the show runs, such as a few missed sound cues and dropped lines, but for the most part I would say this production more than achieved the effect for which it was aiming.
SATE is a theatre company that is known for its character and movement-driven pieces, and this production is no exception with its great cast and energy. This is a show that takes its audience on a roller-coaster ride from broad comedy to mystery, to drama, and to intense fear in the vein of a well-told ghost story. It’s more than just scary, though. It’s entertaining, thought-provoking and presents a fascinating tale. It’s an excellent show, and another success for SATE.
Jared Sanz-Agero
Photo by Joey Rumpell
RumZoo Photography
