‘The Woman In Black’ haunting Sydney from July 30th

Billed as ‘the scariest play in the world’, The Woman in Black soon lands at the Theatre Royal after a sell-out national tour that included major regional centres.

“We started the run with packed houses in Brisbane and that has continued in Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne and with little seasons in Canberra, Newcastle and Wollongong,” John Waters, actor, said. “We start the Sydney season on 30th July.”

This two hander starring John Waters and Daniel MacPherson is an adaptation of Susan Hill’s book of the same name and is now the second longest running play in London’s West End after The Mousetrap.

“It bills itself as the ‘scariest play in the world’ but it goes beyond that,” Waters said.

“It’s a beautifully crafted piece of theatre and it’s a great workout as we take the audience on this incredible journey.”

The Woman in Black is a ghost story that comes alive as it tells the story of Arthur Kipps (Waters) who believes that he has been cursed by a demonic entity.

Kipps employs a young lawyer (MacPherson) to enact his story and relieve him of the fear that has enveloped him.

What begins as a simple exercise soon descends into the darkness of the souls, complete with foggy marshes and howling winds.

“We slip in and out of characters and we talk to each other as current characters and then we go back into the play within then play,” Waters said.

“If you sat someone down and described the way in which the story is told, it sounds complicated, and it is our job to make it look easy. I think we have nailed that aspect of it and the audience has come along with us.”

This is Waters’ second time around with The Woman in Black, having toured it in 2006, with the then Neighbours star Brett Tucker in the roles now played by MacPherson.

The play also had a run at Sydney’s Ensemble Theatre in 2021.

“Daniel will surprise people who just think of him as a television actor, but he has paid his dues in provincial theatre in the UK when he was popular in Neighbours, and he did pantomime and Godspell,” Waters said.

“He is a very powerful actor and is incredibly dynamic on stage and brings a lot of energy to this.

Daniel’s presence has made a lot of difference.”

The edge-of-your-seat experience of the script is augmented by contemporary sound and lighting effects that are state of the art.

“It’s largely very old fashioned hand-on generic theatre but it is aided by a stunning soundscape with all the background noise and sound effects of horses and carts, London traffic, howling winds and the call of curlews on the marshes,” Waters said.

“And the lighting is like cinema noir on stage.

“It gives a backdrop and it helps with the audience transformations both geographically and emotionally.”

The Woman in Black is set to continue the run of first class productions this year that have included the Lehman Trilogy and Death of a Salesman.

“The Woman in Black has cracked that thing of being an excellent play but also a visceral and felt experience for the audience,” Waters said. “People say to their friends that ‘you have see this’.

The Woman In Black
30 July – 17 August
https://thewomaninblack.com.au