MovieChat Forums > The Woman in Black (1989) Discussion > Anyone seen the stage show? What's it li...

Anyone seen the stage show? What's it like


I am very curious to see this show in the west end. Could anyone let me know, without giving away the plot spoilers, what makes the show scary? i.e. Is it through having the old corpse-in-the-cupboard-style of trick, or for example, Oh my God, the room is dark and then....BAM lights up, theres a skeleton on stage. What sort of thing is it, but as I say please don't give away spoilers.




"It's not the world we saw for ourselves, but it's the only one we got"

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I'm not gonna spoil it for you combatreview, but look very closely at your programme, The Woman In Black is credited! As for my tuppence on this play, I thought it was abso-phucking-lutely-fan-bloody-tastic! I thnk the only thing I would like to add that hasn't been mentioned, is the fact that I loved the way the tension was created, and how the firs act lulled you into a false sense of comfort, and made you think "Oh this is OK, but it's just two blokes talking about a story that a pimply teenager might tell at a party to a bunch of eight year olds he's not allowed to scare" then the second act begins, and your straight into it, with the Actor asleep on the bed, the air is electric, then all of a sudden he jerks up, jumping out of a frightful dream, and he gets a good scream out of the audience... then he hears the creepy noise from upstairs, he walks over to the locked door on stage right, reaches out for the door handle... and then the screams really begin, and they don't stop for the rest of the play! Everyone in the theatre came out absolutely terrified! And when we got back to our hotel room we came in and there was this howling wind in our room and a flapping sheet, and we all screamed and then realised we'd left the window open when we'd gone out! Later on in the night, we heard a very familiar noise coming from the room above ours, it was of course the scary noise from the show, and we all looked at each other (four of us, two couples) and the colour drained from our faces, me and my mate wanted to look tough in front of our girlfriends so we went upstairs to check it out (as soon as we'd got round the corner out of sight of the girls, we were practically hugging each other in fear!) we got to the room above ours, and we could still hear the noise but it was much louder, I reached for the door handle, just as I put my hand on the handle a scream came from the room, but this scream was different from the one in the play (not that, that stopped us from jumping out of our skins in terror!) so we knocked on the door, and the noise stopped. Someone came to the door... opened the door slowly... and then we realised it was a lesbian couple enjoying a romantic night together, so the night was a complete charade of terror! But the show still phucking scares me, we saw it about this time, last year and we're gonna see it again in two weeks (and we're gonna see The Producers the night after! Woo!) and we're actually bracing ourselves for going in!

3 weeks and 1 days till Half Blood Prince and another bout of Pottermania hits us!

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I saw the stage play in the west end a couple of years ago - it is a two person play and is brilliant. I have grown up on scary movies etc and it made me jump on a few occasions. It made people around me let out short screams. I wont say any more other than it's the total atmosphere on stage and surroundings that give off this air of manace. I would highly recommend everybody to go and see it unless you have a dodgey heart.

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I saw this stage show the other week with my college at the Fortune Theatre and I really enjoyed the first half....however we were unable to see the second half due to technical difficulties and all had to leave, having only seen half the play! Spooooky! What I saw was brilliant- really amazing atmosphere and the concept of the whole play being a rehearsal was so clever! I watched the film version today at college and I'm ashamed to say it really freaked me out in places! I'll definately go back to London to see the whole play because I hear the second half is the scariest!

Watching them kiss is like watching Rhinos do battle....- Gately

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I watched this a couple of years ago, and it is fantastic, very small cast, extremely atmopsheric, good use of light and sound. A tad slow at the beginning, but I would instantly recommend it, better than some horror movies about at the moment.

What would Jackie do?

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It's more scary than the film that you feel actually involved in it when you're in the theatre. Also, when I was there, she walked straight past us. Also, the lighting was very good.

It was great, IMO because the actors were miming going on a horse and things like that. Also they had to be different characters at different times - there are only THREE actors, so they had to be pretty versatile.

It's very scary, you should go see it.

Live like a bee- move on from things and pick up good advice on the way ~ by me

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Ha ha, only TWO I think you mean!

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the play is scary and brillaint

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Ive seen this play twice, once at the Fortune and more recently on tour at Milton Keynes theatre. This play has to be seen at the Fortune in order to experience the proper atmosphere. The play really loses something in translation in a big venue particularly as so mich depends on the sudden appearance of the woman in black herself. The impact of key moments in the play are not realised and the more folk there are in the theatre the more likely that any potential 'scares' and surprises are given away before they happen. As little is used in the way of props etc being in a big theatre makes it difficult to see whats going on. Watching it from the middle of the upper circle surrounded by shrieking 6th form students who had seen the play before made the experience less than enjoyable!
That aside, the play itself is fantastic and differs wildly from both the book and the tv production. I agree with other posters that it is the intimacy of the play that helps to make the hackles rise in that you are made to feel a part of events on stage. Sound is also used to amazing affect and becomes quite chilling as the play progresses. Overall much of the atmosphere is achieved by the power of suggestion and the audiences expectation. One of the parts that caused the most shrieking (followed by the obligatory nervous laughter) was achieved using nothing but a quick, loud sound effect and lighting and had nothing to do with the supernatural at all. The play really draws you in.


Well I'll be dead and rained on...!

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I worked on a production in the mid west.
A small house seating 450.
I enjoyed watching play very much.
You were pulled into the story not know what to expect next.
The costumes and sets and special effects.
Were like watching an old black and white mystery.
You felt the chill of the moors.
Add to that the excelent cast.
Especialy the actress playing the woman in black.
Coming in and out silenty creeping you out.

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Ha ha, only TWO I think you mean!


Lol that took me a while to understand.....

combatreview - Oh and BTW cos it's the end of term, we're watching the film of the Woman In Black again. NOW I might see the ending and not keep on saying "What happened" again and again.

Rose-Are you there?Are you getting this?You've got the point,haven't you?Rose...?

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That's a lot more interesting than anything I ever saw at the end of term! Oh, tell a lie - my history teacher once brought a video of Blackadder in, on the grounds that it was vaguely historical.

Hope you enjoy the ending... it's... nice!

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Aww that was a disappointing ending. This *will* sound harsh, but I think (in the film) they should have ended it like the book with his wife and child in the pony and trap, being startled by the woman, crashing and killing them. I think he should have been left miserable for the rest of his life (said it would be harsh). Also, the fact that it was a pony and trap related more to the story. However, the pony and trap is in the play and the show and I'm glad it was there.

The ending was quite funny really - EVERYONE was screaming in the class and I was laughing. For a WHOLE tree to SUDDENLY fall, it was quite amusing. It was just really overdramatized.

I should really do my physics coursework now.....

Rose-Are you there?Are you getting this?You've got the point,haven't you?Rose...?

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I saw the play when my brother and I were in London back in 1996. This play was so scary that certain sounds and objects (if you have seen the play you know what I am talking about) still give me the creeps. I have been to countless horror movies and plays, but this is the only one that 99% of the audinece actually screamed out loud.

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My sister and I took my Mum to see this play for her birthday a couple of years ago.

My sister had seen it on a school trip about 6 months before hand and she said it scared the cr*p out of her. My Mum had seen it years and years ago (probably a school trip) and she told me that it frit her half to death but also how brilliant it was.

Prior to actually watching the play, I wasn't phased at all. I couldn't understand what the big woof was all about and I eventually came to the conclusion that both my sister and my Mother were the biggest wusses in the world.

How wrong did I turn out to be?!?!?!

For the first half, I was pretty relaxed. Quietly enjoying myself, experiencing no panic attacks, I was almost mellow in fact. I was just taking in the acting the story and the atmosphere - no problem. Brilliant.

Then the second half began and I was transformed into some kind of ridiculous petrified muppet.
I don't know what it was about this play that got to me - but it was something.
I was leaping, shrieking and gasping throughout. Every so often I would jump a little way out of my chair and cling on to my poor little sis who must have thought I was behaving like a right wolly.

Still, absolutely brilliant. I'd "jump" at the chance to go and see it again! Truly fantastic.

The next time I'm back home, I'll be paying the Fortune Theatre a visit!

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didn't really scare me, but my drama teacher has seen it about 10 times and said this cast was not one of the best she has seen, and that it was one of the worse productions, so maybe that's why I wasn't scared. However the person next to me was screaming and crying so I dunno....it was gd tho/

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i just watched saw the show a few days ago, and, being someone who is used to stuff like this, was totally 100% freaked out of my own body! The 2 main characters give off such a strong performance. The sound was used best. one thing that made me jump, was a really really loud scream from the back of the theatre without any warning. The effects were used well too, with doors unexpectably slamming shut, and a rocking chair moving by itself, those were just so disturbing and effective.

Think i'll try and find the movie tommorow...

"i am frank & frank must go, i good you bidevening"

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Hi, i went to see this play about a year ago and it still terrifies me from what i remember of it!

I think the plays brilliant and i didnt believe the posters outside at all that the play actually 'made the audience scream in terror' but to totally honest...i screamed a fair few times and wouldn't go to the bathroom on my own that night!

I would definitely got to see it, im hoping to go back and see it again very soon with some of my family because i know they'd love it.

Theres such a tense atmosphere thats built up by the sounds all around you and the main actors are brilliant.

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I saw the West End play last summer. To say that nothing has terrified me more is an understatement. It chilled me to my very core, and left me speechless.

The best part is that there's no special effects. Some elaborate light and sound cues can work wonders, as well as believable acting.

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I thought the stage show was absolutely awsome. I was so scared when I came home, I made my mum let me sleep in her bed! I was like, "The Woman in Black is gonna get me!!! *bursts into tears*"
It doesnt help that I have a rocking chair in my house.
My friend went to see it a few weeks later and she ended up sleep walking, which she has never done before....creepy.
I am so making my mum go and see it again with me, as she took great pleasure in telling everyone how scared I was!
Hahahaha she has a big surprise waiting for her....

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I told my girlfriend some time ago that I'd never see a play before so yesterday, as a surprise for my birthday, she took me to the West End to see The Woman in Black in the Fortune Theatre. I've always been a fan of scary films so this was perfect.

The play was excellent, I never thought a play would be my kind of thing, I certainly would never think play=scary but I was wrong!
Where a play might lack in CGI and special effects, it makes up for it in masterful use of lighting and sound, and the very fact you are mere feet from the action. The Woman was very creepy, appearing quite suddenly in places, but only briefly so you never really got a good look at her, and of course the acting by The Actor and Mr Kipps was fantastic.
I would definitely recommend going to see this, if you enjoy the story and fancy a play.

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