Crewe Lyceum is the perfect theatre to listen to ghost stories, writes Claire Faulkner.
And so, along with an auditorium full of strangers, I went on Tuesday night to watch The Woman in Black.
I have seen the show before and felt I was prepared for the darkness, the shadows and the screams. I was wrong of course.
Set in the early 1950s, the story centres around Arthur Kipps, desperate to share his story in the hope it will stop his reoccurring nightmares, and an actor who he has hired to help tell it.
We learn about Kipps, his life, his job as a solicitor and how he is sent to the funeral of Alice Drablow and that before he can leave he must settle her estate.
The suspense builds slowly in the first act.
The audience on Tuesday night were completely absorbed by the story and by the middle of the second act I think we had all jumped out of our seats at least once.
This show was a master class in theatre production. The set, lighting and sound design were all superb.
Dressed in pale greys, blues and blacks the stage echoed the bleak storyline, the clever use of lighting gave us shadows for the horror to hide in and revealed just enough movement and madness to scare the audience.
The cast were unbelievably good. Both Malcolm James who played Arthur Kipps, and Mark Hawkins who played The Actor were exceptional.
Productions like this are a joy to watch, and its shows like this which makes going to the theatre a great experience.
“The Woman in Black” was written by Susan Hill and adapted for the stage by Stephen Mallatratt, directed by Robin Herford.
Presented by PW Productions, it is running at The Lyceum until Saturday April 27.
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