The Woman in Black at the Orchard Theatre, Dartford - review

I tend to find 'fictional' ghost stories far from frightening, if not a little comical, it's the 'real life' ones which, to me, are much more spine chilling.

So swaggering into the theatre with the mindset of scare me? Hah - I'd like to see you try, I was curious to discover how a play in a packed theatre would rise to my self-imposed challenge.

The Woman in Black tells the sad story of a young solicitor (Kipps) who is dispatched to the northern village of Crythin Gifford to attend the funeral of an elderly widow.

While at the service, Kipps encounters a figure of a woman dressed in black silently watching from a distance.

Kipps' work of winding up the widow's estate takes him to her remote home only accessible across a causeway at low tide.

During his investigations he finds that locals seem reluctant to expand upon past events at the house as ghostly and mysterious events begin to unfold in the spooky surroundings.

Initially set around 100 years ago, the show opens with the older Kipps being coached by a theatre director, played by Daniel Easton, to reluctantly recount his tale for an audience.Robert Goodale expertly portrays the elderly Kipps as the awkward storyteller and, from the outset, the jumpy audience is given a jolt which sets the tone for the rest of the show.

Throughout the performance both actors skilfully switch roles and the characterisation of the multiple villagers was given first class treatment by Goodale with colourful and vivid pictures painted through the gripping narrative using minimal props. The swirling and atmospheric surroundings of the remote northern setting captured the mood perfectly with clever use of sound and lighting effects which were enough to send a shiver down anyone's spine.

The heart-humping tension in the scenes that followed was palpable as the audience collectively held its breath waiting for the many shock moments which we all knew were coming.

So did it scare me? I couldn't possibly say, but I'm certainly glad I'm not going home alone tonight.

The Woman in Black runs at the Orchard Theatre in Dartford until Saturday, November 2 at 7.30pm (matinees Wednesday 2pm and Saturday (2.30pm). Click here to book tickets.

On Halloween night itself, ticket holders can literally 'get in to the spirit' of the evening with an immersive Halloween experience and meet a whole host of spooky characters in the foyer from 5.30pm.

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