Terrifying play makes audiences scream: ‘The Woman in Black’ lives up to it’s own legend at Vertigo

Do you like ghost stories? Scary movies? Have you ever heard of horror theatre?

The Woman in Black is running at Vertigo Theatre through to Oct. 27. The perfect spooky season live theatre date night that may leave you questioning what you saw on stage- or what you thought you saw.

The script has a rich history, it was based on a Novel by Susan Hill published in 1983. In 1987 it was adapted into a stage play- and saw great success. It ran for over 13 thousand performances in London’s West End from 1989 through to 2023. It has also been adapted for screen and film, including in 2012 with Daniel Radcliffe.

Director Jamie Dunsdon says there was admittedly some pressure to produce a show with such a successful history. She says she wanted to stay true to the story without worrying about ‘making’ it scary. “I looked at this as a story of two people going through something difficult and challenging and full of obstacles, and to make it as difficult as possible for them.”

So, what kind of scary is The Woman in Black? Dunsdon calls it a traditional ghost story, with elements of a thriller with hauntings and surprises. But she says it isn’t gratiotous or gory, “we’re not here to haunt your eyelids forever, we are here to haunt your hearts forever.”

The story is about a man struggling to exorcise himself of the traumatic memory of a haunting he believes he experienced many years before. He has gone to a dramatist to try and share it on stage, and both men work through the story playing all the parts.

You may have seen similar haunting type stories in film or on TV, but to experience it as live theatre in a crowd is something altogether different. Dunsdon says emotions become contagious, “there are studies that show that people who are sitting and watching a live performance together start to synch up heartbeats and… synch up their breathing.” She says directing the show put her in the position of audience surrogate to anticipate that response, but reacting together with a crowd and seeing if it works is truly magical.

Dunson says if you like a good ghost story and you need a chilling experience to go with spooky season, this play is for you. Recommended for roughly ages 13 and up, depending on maturity level. “And maybe anyone who doesn’t have a severe heart condition,” Dunsdon recommends.

The Woman in Black runs at Vertigo Theatre until Oct. 27. Tickets at https://www.vertigotheatre.com/.