[NEohioPAL]Another Great Notice for Woman in Black - Final 4 Performances at Actors' Summit
Thackaberr at aol.com
Thackaberr at aol.com
Thu Nov 7 14:31:09 PST 2002
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In The Woman in Black, we see dead people.
By Keith A. Joseph
Even in these post-Halloween days, when half-rotten jack-o'-lanterns and
crumpled paper skeletons sit at the curb awaiting trash pickup, there's
nothing like a good scare. And few stories over the ages have been genuinely
creepier than Henry James's classic story of corrupt valet Peter Quint
(R.I.P.) wrestling with a neurotic governess for the soul of a young boy.
Fortunately, the Actors' Summit's rendition of The Woman in Black not only
resurrects the back-from-the-grave feel of James's work, but is scary enough
by itself to cure a serious case of the hiccups. Based on Susan Hill's 1983
gothic novel of the same name, the play centers around Arthur Kipps's fervid
recollections of his youthful days as solicitor, when he repeatedly
encountered an enraged specter.
The intrepid Kipps learns that the ghost had once been an unwed mother forced
to hand over her baby to her stern sister. The child later drowned in a freak
accident, leading the bereaved mother to madness and, eventually, an
agonizing death. For the next 60 years, her tortured spirit haunted the
village like a vengeful Cassandra in Victorian mourning weeds, foretelling
the deaths of young children.
Stephen Mallatratt, who wrote this adaptation, weaves a baroque tapestry
around the original ghost story. In this version, the now-middle-aged
solicitor rents a Victorian theater and hires a hammy actor to help him
exorcise the horrible events of 20 years ago. The two change places -- with
the actor assuming the role of Kipps as a young man and the inexperienced
solicitor timidly playing the other subordinate roles.
The play-within-a-play shrewdly blends old-time radio sound effects and
narration with a stripped-down theatricality reminiscent of Thornton Wilder.
An empty chair suddenly starts rocking, suggesting the presence of evil. The
woman in black herself, in a breathtaking theatrical moment worthy of Edgar
Allan Poe, suddenly materializes at a funeral, shimmering in a blasphemous
halo.
Filling the demands of a script nightmarish in both content and challenging
structure are Wayne Turney and Peter Voinovich. Radiating a joyous innocence
and wonder, and looking quite like a stuffed owl, Turney's experience hosting
a children's show is apparent. His Kipps is a reluctant storyteller turned
Pied Piper, blithely leading the audience into treacherous territory.
Voinovich's controlling actor character, employing the charmingly
overenunciated English accent of a road company Sherlock Holmes, balances his
co-star's whimsy. He easily covers the emotional terrain, ranging from
self-mocking pomposity to wide-eyed fright.
In a play that depends on sleight-of-hand staging, where production values
are essential, director Neil Thackaberry is not altogether comfortable -- but
he does manage to keep the sense of psychological terror intact. Richard B.
Ingraham's evocative sound, Dan Polk's sepia lighting, and Mary Jo
Alexander's fusty costumes all add the appropriate verisimilitude.
The Woman in Black may not be a fount of profundity or subtlety, but it just
may be one of the most satisfying scares since Henry James turned that screw.
Details
The Woman in Black Details: Through November 10, 330-342-0800. Where: Actors'
Summit Theater, 86 Owen Brown Street, Hudson
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<HTML><FONT FACE=arial,helvetica><P ALIGN=CENTER><FONT SIZE=4><B>In The Woman in Black, we see dead people</FONT><FONT COLOR="#000000" SIZE=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" FACE="Arial" LANG="0"></B>.
<BR><P ALIGN=LEFT>
<BR>By Keith A. Joseph
<BR>
<BR>Even in these post-Halloween days, when half-rotten jack-o'-lanterns and crumpled paper skeletons sit at the curb awaiting trash pickup, there's nothing like a good scare. And few stories over the ages have been genuinely creepier than Henry James's classic story of corrupt valet Peter Quint (R.I.P.) wrestling with a neurotic governess for the soul of a young boy.
<BR>
<BR>Fortunately, the Actors' Summit's rendition of The Woman in Black not only resurrects the back-from-the-grave feel of James's work, but is scary enough by itself to cure a serious case of the hiccups. Based on Susan Hill's 1983 gothic novel of the same name, the play centers around Arthur Kipps's fervid recollections of his youthful days as solicitor, when he repeatedly encountered an enraged specter.
<BR>
<BR>The intrepid Kipps learns that the ghost had once been an unwed mother forced to hand over her baby to her stern sister. The child later drowned in a freak accident, leading the bereaved mother to madness and, eventually, an agonizing death. For the next 60 years, her tortured spirit haunted the village like a vengeful Cassandra in Victorian mourning weeds, foretelling the deaths of young children.
<BR>
<BR>Stephen Mallatratt, who wrote this adaptation, weaves a baroque tapestry around the original ghost story. In this version, the now-middle-aged solicitor rents a Victorian theater and hires a hammy actor to help him exorcise the horrible events of 20 years ago. The two change places -- with the actor assuming the role of Kipps as a young man and the inexperienced solicitor timidly playing the other subordinate roles.
<BR>
<BR>The play-within-a-play shrewdly blends old-time radio sound effects and narration with a stripped-down theatricality reminiscent of Thornton Wilder. An empty chair suddenly starts rocking, suggesting the presence of evil. The woman in black herself, in a breathtaking theatrical moment worthy of Edgar Allan Poe, suddenly materializes at a funeral, shimmering in a blasphemous halo.
<BR>
<BR>Filling the demands of a script nightmarish in both content and challenging structure are Wayne Turney and Peter Voinovich. Radiating a joyous innocence and wonder, and looking quite like a stuffed owl, Turney's experience hosting a children's show is apparent. His Kipps is a reluctant storyteller turned Pied Piper, blithely leading the audience into treacherous territory. Voinovich's controlling actor character, employing the charmingly overenunciated English accent of a road company Sherlock Holmes, balances his co-star's whimsy. He easily covers the emotional terrain, ranging from self-mocking pomposity to wide-eyed fright.
<BR>
<BR>In a play that depends on sleight-of-hand staging, where production values are essential, director Neil Thackaberry is not altogether comfortable -- but he does manage to keep the sense of psychological terror intact. Richard B. Ingraham's evocative sound, Dan Polk's sepia lighting, and Mary Jo Alexander's fusty costumes all add the appropriate verisimilitude.
<BR>
<BR>The Woman in Black may not be a fount of profundity or subtlety, but it just may be one of the most satisfying scares since Henry James turned that screw.
<BR>
<BR>Details
<BR>The Woman in Black Details: Through November 10, 330-342-0800. Where: Actors' Summit Theater, 86 Owen Brown Street, Hudson
<BR></P></P></FONT></HTML>
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