Review: THE WOMAN IN BLACK at Roxy's Downtown

If, for the spooky season, you crave scary ghost stories around a campfire in the middle of the night in the woods far far away from civilization, this show is for you. If you have a vivd imagination, and love jump scares, hurry in to see The Woman In Black before it closes. Just before the show begins a disembodied voice requests the audience turn off their cell phones, and warns them to be aware of their surroundings, as the whole theatre fades to black.

The play was adapted by Stephen Mallatratt from the 1983 gothic horror novel written by English writer Susan Hill. It ran from 1989 to 2023 in London's West End and is the fourth longest-running show in West End history.

The story is quite simple;  Arthur Kipps, a solicitor, hires an actor to help him enact a play he has written for family and friends to communicate what transpired after he attended the funeral of a client, whose estate must be reckoned with. Never mind that the client lived on the edge of the most terrifying marsh in all of Great Britain. At the funeral, Kipps sees the woman in black, and his harrowing journey begins.

Director Terry Erbe keeps the proceedings tight, with a fast pace to help counter the torturous unwinding of the eerie facts and menacing situations Kipps encounters. The set, designed by Jason Huffman, is incredibly sparse and stark, with the starkness aided and abetted by lighting designer Jamison Rhoads. Together they have created several terrifying locations with some simple furniture, fabric drops, and sharp beams of light, all enveloped in an almost constant haze. Costume Designer Kalon Kirk helps Kipps change into a myriad of characters by a change of a single costume piece. Sound/Projection Designer Brad Thomison pulls the whole play together with an otherworldly soundscape, replete with a moaning wind and the disembodied voices of a phantom we never are quite able to discern.

Rick Bumgardner plays Arthur Kipps, the solicitor, who has written the story and is attempting to enlist the help the Actor, played by Simon Hill, to bring his play about his unusual story to his family and friends. Rick, who is usually on the other side of the stage directing shows, gives us a wonderful performance, playing a plethora of characters to Simon’s Actor, who is playing the role of Kipps in his story. Simon is resident Music Director for the many musicals performed at Roxy’s, so it is nice to see both these men explore their acting chops. Rick plays a plethora of characters with an array of accents, and delivers strong, solid characters, with an eye to a keen juxtaposition between town folk and country folk.  Simon’s Actor takes us on quite the journey, flexing between a confident young businessman to an utterly terrified man, traversing the swamp, using expert miming and physical embodiment to tell the whole story of Kipps’ spine chilling ordeal.

I found this to be a most gripping, intellectual, and intimate production of The Woman In Black. I have seen others, and so I was familiar with the story, but, even so, it was one of the most suspenseful productions of this play I have seen to date. The plot twist alone will gnaw and tear at your heart. The entire cast and crew has worked very hard to force you to utilize your imagination to its utmost. It would be a shame if you missed it.

The Woman In Black runs until November 7th. Tickets are available at roxysdowntown.com or by calling the Box Office at 316-265-4400.

What’s up next at Roxy’s Downtown? Avenue Q, which opens November 20th, and closes December 19th.

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