Whanganui Rep Talk: The Woman in Black a riveting read which will make a great show

Under Hamish McDouall's direction, the characters are coming to life, writes Nadine Rayner in this week's Rep Talk.

OPINION:

I spent a hard day ‘doing research’ - that is to say, I spent the morning reading the script for The Woman in Black. Actually, I couldn’t put it down.

It is a riveting play. It’s not a long play, but it evokes an atmosphere of menace, taking the audience along on a rollercoaster ride which becomes more and more sinister.

In the afternoon, I went along to watch the rehearsal, with Jimmy Sutcliffe playing The Actor and Isham Redford playing the part of Kipps, who arrives at a small English seaside town to tie up the affairs of the recently deceased Alice Drablow. Both of these young men have demanding roles.

Director Hamish McDouall once said sound effects can constitute a character in themselves, and I soon began to understand exactly what he meant, as those effects really did help tell the story.

They invite the audience to use their imaginations to picture the scenes and to travel along with the characters. Meynell Smith seems very comfortable in her role as The Woman. She appears to be enjoying her part and is beginning to make it her own. I’ve no doubt she’ll bring the tragedy of The Woman to life on stage.

I shall definitely enjoy doing ‘further research’ in the coming weeks.