"The Woman In Black" is a haunting and seasonally appropriate ghost tale set in the coast of Maine. Written by Stephen Mallatratt, the story is adapted from a novel by Susan Hill. In this Dark Ride Production presentation at the Davis Square Theatre, the two actors play multiple roles as the action toggles back in forth between present day and events in the past.
The conceit is that an older man, Mr. Kipps, finally feels ready to tale a chilling tale of something that happened to him many years ago when he was a young man. Not trusting his ability to tell the story in a convincing way to his family and close friends, he hires an acting coach to help him to overcome his tendency to read the story in a monotone that would bore his audience to tears or to sleep. Brian Savage plays Mr. Kipps and Ben Lewin is the acting coach. As the coaching sessions develop, Mr. Kipps and his coach act out the story, each one assuming a variety of roles, with the coach serving primarily in the role of young Mr. Kipps.
The story spins out a complex web one thread at a time as young Mr. Kipps is sent to a remote part of the coast of Maine to settle the affairs of one of the clients of his firm. He is tasked with sorting out a voluminous mountain of her papers, and finds himself encountering a town that has become petrified by a series of sightings of a mysterious Woman in Black. The heart of this tale revolves around several sightings of this ghostly figure, and the after effects of those sightings. Mr. Lewin is particularly effective in conveying a wide range of emotions, from the business-like acting coach, to the self-confident Mr. Kipps as he sets out for Maine, to a very shaken person who fears for his safety and that of his family after encountering this phantom-like Woman in Black.
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| Ben Lewin "The Woman In Black" Davis Square Theatre Through October 28th |
You have three more opportunities to see this show - this evening, Tuesday and Wednesday at the Davis Square Theatre. IT is a trip worth taking.
Davis Square Theatre Website
Enjoy!
Al
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