Patrons must ascend the narrow, winding staircase to make their way to their seats on the second level of the bare Fortune Theatre, and this climb immediately sets the mood for the dark and sinister play "The Woman in Black", which has been running on the West End for over twenty years.
A young solicitor is sent to tidy up the affairs and estate of the recently deceased Mrs. Drablow, but is haunted by the noises and ghost-like ambience of the house, and especially by a mysterious woman dressed in black who appears out of nowhere and then disappears into thin air. The play presents this solicitor as an old man telling of his experience to an actor, and together they act out the story.
While I thought that the acting was superb, I felt that the story was a bit cliche and I could not get engaged or easily hooked. There were no unexpected twists and turns, and as a result I didn't ever feel scared or yearn to see what was going to happen next. Furthermore, the sudden shifts out of the story back to the old man and the actor talking seemed jarring to me, and weakened any tension that had built up in the plot.
However, despite these weaknesses in the script, I thought the technical elements were quite effective. The stark, sterile lighting conveyed a sense of uneasiness, and the sound effects of horses galloping and furniture creaking through the house nicely complimented the dialogue. Above all, the acting was full of expression and character, and the words were inflected in a way that was perfectly tailored to the telling of a ghost story.
Overall, I felt that while the environment the play put forward was dramatic and appealing, its potential and effectiveness was diminished by the un-engaging storyline.
No comments:
Post a Comment