Following its final performance in London’s West End, Susan Hill’s THE WOMAN IN BLACK is heading out on tour and gets to the New Theatre in Cardiff this week.
PW Productions have announced the tour cast for the UK And Ireland tour of Susan Hill’s The Woman in Black. The production will star MALCOLM JAMES as Arthur Kipps and MARK HAWKINS as The Actor.
I can tell you now, as far as a theatrical experience goes, this is about as creepy as creepy can be. You’ll spend as much time jumping from your seat as you will sitting in it…….
Malcolm returns to The Woman in Black having first played Arthur Kipps on a UK Tour and then at the Fortune Theatre. His other West End credits include The Mousetrap at St. Martin’s Theatre and Volpone at the National Theatre. His on-screen credits include HBO’s My Dinner with Herve, Secret Invasion on Disney+, the BBC’s Doctors and EastEnders, ITV’s Coronation Street and The Bill. On radio he has been heard on Letters to an Icon, The History Man and several afternoon dramas all on BBC Radio 4.
Mark first played The Actor in The Woman in Black at the Fortune Theatre and The Madinat Theatre. His other theatrical credits include The Railway Children at Kings Cross Theatre, Julius Caesar at The Globe, the uk tour of Lady Chatterley’s Lover and the international tour of The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. His television credits include HBO’s The Nevers and ITV’s Vera.
The tour cast is completed by JON DE VILLE (The Sound of Music UK Tour, Netflix’s Scoop, BBC’s Strike) as understudy Arthur Kipps and DOMINIC PRICE (The Woman in Black) as understudy The Actor.
Stephen Mallatratt’s adaptation of Susan Hill’s best-selling novel tells the story of a lawyer obsessed with a curse that he believes has been cast over his family by the spectre of a ‘Woman in Black’. He engages a young actor to help him tell his story and exorcise the fear that grips his soul. It begins innocently enough, but as they delve further into his darkest memories the borders between make-believe and reality begin to blur and the flesh begins to creep.
Over 33-years THE WOMAN IN BLACK played over 13,000 performances in the West End and has been seen by over 7-million people in the UK. In June 2019 the production celebrated its 30th Anniversary in London’s West End with a special gala performance.
I was trying to work out how many times I’ve seen this production over the years and six is my magic number. What is so compelling about the show, is that no matter how many times you see it, it still has the ability to scare the bejeebers out of you. It worked so well in the Fortune Theatre in London, but actually, the New Theatre is an equally perfect home for this show.
The show had a very modest start. Following a Christmas production in 1987 at a pub in Scarborough, The Woman In Black moved to Hammersmith’s in 1989. After some fantastic reviews it enabled the production to move into the West End, starting at the Strand (now Novello) Theatre, moving on to the Playhouse, and finally a semi-permanent home in the Fortune Theatre since 1989.
What was, and still is so great about the show, is the work they do with school groups. Special reductions are available for school groups of 10 or more across the tour. Take a look at some of the reaction from teachers and pupils who watched the show live HERE.
THE WOMAN IN BLACK is very much a must see live event and it gets to the New Theatre in Cardiff from Tuesday 19th through to Saturday 23rd September. Performances are at 7:30pm with a 2:30pm matinee on Wednesday and Saturday – the Saturday matinee also has audio description. Tickets range from £18 to £37, with a variety of concessions available. For more details, go HERE.
