In the West End production of ‘The Woman in Black’, assess the skills of the two male performers when performing their role(s).

Essay Outline: ‘As Alfred Hitchcock noted, suspense and atmosphere are more potent than scary events themselves’

Part 1 – Introduction

Introduction: ‘The Woman in Black,’ West end mainstay and classic enjoyed by many people since 1989, is a remarkable adaptation of a superb horror novel. Stripped down to a minimal cast by the impressive Stephen Mallatrat who has fitted a cunning theatrical frame around it, the play, which has seen many different duos taking the roles involved in the drama and ‘always bringing something new to it’ , is still to this day a massive hit. Undoubtedly talented, the two actors on stage, Brian Miller and William Rycroft, handled their varied roles superbly and brought the tension and terror inherent in the adaptation forth, using the limited props, large amount of space and excellent writing, to scare the audience witless.

Part 2 – Physical appearance and specific actor traits

Physical and vocal qualities – Vital in creating the characters and expressing the different contexts of the change within the play, in a wonderfully orotund, flamboyant and self confident way, Rycroft educates the storyteller in the ways of theatre and the techniques of acting. Coaching the older ‘Kipps,’ clearly portrayed as a less confident and able man, his magnificent vocal expressions display him as the stereotypical Victorian actor. Especially with a two man cast, it is vital that the ranges of vocal abilities in the two men are expressive and changeable, and there is no doubt that through the different characters portrayed this is in evidence.

Range of facial expressions and other actor skills– Perhaps the most dynamic and vivid use of a facial expression for me, was Rycroft’s reaction to the final twist in which he is asked about providing the ‘woman in black’ as part of the performance. Twisting in horror, his abject terror contrasts beautifully with the perceived ‘pale, wasted face and expression of desperate, yearning malevolence’ of the woman in black. Elsewhere throughout the play, his confident, expressive features work well in expressing the slightly woebegone look of Kipps, the actor who has slipped a little too far into the horrors of his past but still manages to become more adept at ‘performing’ throughout the play. From the self conscious, withdrawn character at the opening, through to his improved attempt at reading Shakespeare and finally onto his ability to switch characters, his facial expressions, and indeed whole character, seems to evolve.

Creation of emotion – In a ‘two hand’ minimalist play, creating base, thrusting emotions within the hearts and minds of the audience is vital in place of spectacular effects, impressive sets or big choral numbers. Indeed, the raw fear and suspense (as well as dark humour) produced by the two actors is extremely well done. Using many of the devices discussed within this essay, and manipulating the vulnerability of the stark setting, they are able to, and carry off a wide range and evolving set of personal movements, expressions and speeches. Coupled with this, the fact that there are only two of them, makes their dialogues, and emotion fuelled actions, paramount to the audience’s concentration span, as they focus on these two purveyors of this simple, chilling and edgy tale.

Part 3: Interaction

Rapport with audience and response/ Use o