Review: THE WOMAN IN BLACK at Milwaukee Rep

You could classify "The Woman in Black" as a horror story – but it’s all about dread and shadows – not blood and gore.

The show's roles are played by three actors in repertory – two actors take multiple roles in each performance. In the Saturday matinee we saw, Mark Hawkins plays the young Arthur Kipps as well as an actor working with an older Kipps. David Acton played the older Kipps, along with a host of supporting characters who interacted with the young Kipps. It's much less confusing than that sounds - thanks to the skill of Hawkins, Acton and director Robin Herford.

The third actor in the rotation, Ben Porter, had the afternoon off.

The story begins when the older Kipps hires the actor to help him tell the story of a terrifying time from his past that still haunts him. The hope is that when he shares his memories, they’ll finally leave him.

“Woman” starts out in a comic vein, which makes what follows even more effective - just as the light is necessary for the shadows that lighting designer Anshuman Bhatia uses expertly to set a subtly spooky tone.

Most of the story focuses on the young Kipps, who goes to the remote Eel Marsh House to organize a recently deceased client’s estate. The young solicitor finds little help from most of the nearby townspeople who give the house a wide berth.

The reasons quickly become clear.

Kipps' only company while he works is a dog names Spider, the occassional scream of fear (not his own), some other classic haunted house noises...and the title character.

Hawkins and Acton telegraph a palpable fear that can be felt throughout the small studio theater – keeping the audience pensive and perched on the edge of their seats – the first time I’ve seen that cliché played out literally.

Caption: Mark Hawkins and David Acton.