Woman in Black
UK Tour - Aylesbury
(Review Complete)
Review
A familiar story that’s been around a long time.
Malcolm James as the nervous, apologetic, deeply troubled ARTHUR KIPPS was convincing from start to finish. His transitions from nonchalant to panic-stricken were slick and totally believable.
The ACTOR played by Mark Hawkins was equally adept at changing characters. He was what most people would expect a self-centred, sarcastic actor would be like.
The quick, subtle, changes of clothes were very effective by both men. The simplistic set with the multi-tasking basket was used to great effect.
Sound effects were used appropriately and added to the experience as did the lighting moods.
Unfortunately, the performance was marred by the presence of a two-hundred strong school party in the audience. For every scary part of the play, there was a competition to see who could scream the loudest and the longest. Regrettably, the actors on stage carried on with their lines without a pause which meant that some key words and meanings were often lost under the exaggerated screeches.
I’m sure that an all-adult audience would be impressed whether they had seen the West End version or not.
4 stars out of 5.
Reviewed by Claudia Lynch