When the crypt door creaks and the tombstones quake… and all those other thrillifying haunted things that trickle down through the mist to send shivers up the spine this time of year…it can only mean one thing. Spooky season is upon us! And delving into the vein of stage thriller, The Keegan Theatre presents The Woman in Black, by Stephen Mallatratt (based on the novel by Susan Hill) now through November 17th 2024. Directed by Josh Sticklin, this eerie, ephemeral stage drama tells the harrowing tale of a ghost story… in a small Victorian theatre…and will leave you wondering whether or not you too believe in the spiritual aftermath of what lies beyond the veil of death.
Director and Scenic Designer Josh Sticklin may have been overly ambitious in the show’s scenery. A turn-table, which is used at times to quite striking effect, dominates the stage and the sparse-but-meticulously furnished scenery is placed strategically all around it. Herein lies one of the show’s problems. Because the turn table moves— again astonishingly striking effects are created when its swirling all around in conjunction with the lighting design and sound effects of the show— the sight lines of the stage are not always consistent. There are moments when the supposed entity of ‘The Woman in Black’ is meant to ‘be seen’ by the younger actor playing Kipps and either portions of the audience can’t see her at all, or you can see her crossing through the set to get into position. This ruins the illusion that she’s a ghostly entity. (There’s also issue with the entity(ies) being a bit heavy of foot…announcing in somewhat of a clunky fashion their arrival, which again pulls you out of the story in an unfortunate fashion.) If Sticklin’s intention was to have the ‘ghost entity’ be seen at times milling about into place— and this is not a reference to the intentional ‘poltergeist scene’ where it’s evident that she’s meant to be seen fully— or not seen by the audience at other times to create a sense of unease and true spookiness, it doesn’t land clearly. And if that was not his intention, then the issue of failing the suspense of these moments remains.
Where Sticklin succeeds with this imposing set construct is the massive door— which serves as the entrance to the ill-fated Eel Marsh House, amongst other doors— and the turn-table fixture’s overall usage to demarcate the passage of time. Working in tandem with Lighting Designer Sage Green and Sound Designer Brandon Cook, the set whirls in an almost maddening fashion with the heavy blinking of chandelier lights and the chiming of clock bells. That effect is achieved meticulously and creates quite the spectacle to behold. There are other instances throughout the performance, however, where some of Green’s lighting choices seem to be a beat behind or ahead of their action— potential misfires from the board ops…or maybe an actual ghost in the booth, it’s difficult to say. One does have to admit that the recorded sound is splendid; Cook does an exemplary job of capturing sounds that strike an unsettling balance between normal and unnerving. The pony-and-trap as well as Spider-the-Dog’s barking come quickly to mind. It feels like for as many successes as there are with Cook’s sound design, Green’s lighting design, and Sticklin’s overall approach to the set and the ‘mystical happenings’ with the titular entity, that there are just as many off-setting hiccups in the technical-spectacle department.
If the glitches and ghosts of the show’s technical components can be overlooked, and that’s a strong ask considering a large portion of the show’s general verve is built around that spine-chilling potential, the acting from the two performers is stellar. Robert Leembruggen, as Actor, and Noah Mutterperl, as Kipps, are extraordinary storytellers who play exceptionally well off of one another every step of their narrative journey.
Leembruggen and Mutterperl create a fascinating dynamic playing off of one another, both as the two characters who are discussing telling the story of ‘The Woman in Black’ and as the characters who are then actively telling the story in live-time. While Mutterperl flits and flashes about the stage, perpetually in motion with an indefatigable jitter vibrating out from deep within, Leembruggen possesses a more rigid energy— still as feral, still as engaging, only manifesting in a desperate need to repress this ghost story. Mutterperl engages his full physicality with an almost Whovian enthusiasm (think David Tennant and Matt Smith trying to occupy the same body all at once) whereas Leembruggen channels the depths of his emotional plight in stillness and palpable fear. The juxtaposition of these two vastly opposite portrayals of the same energetic coin is wild.
Both Leembruggen and Mutterperl understand the severity of the tale which they are unfurling whilst simultaneously balancing some of the more comedic exchanges between them during the ‘out-of-story’ moments (most of which are cued by Mutterperl snapping his fingers or waving up to an ‘unseen booth tech’.) When the gravity of the show’s ‘surprise’ as discussed in full-blown visceral terror by the pair drops near the end of the performance you can feel the tension flood the room, choking out all the oxygen; it’s a truly rewarding moment, especially considering all the technical hitches. Color one surprised when the show ends that the audience is left applauding a blank stage…which seems to cheat Leembruggen and Mutterperl out of their just-rewards for all of the extensive efforts to overcome ‘bad tech’ in order for the audience to still have an extraordinary story.
A chilling ghost tale, superbly acted, The Woman in Black is settling into DuPont Circle just in time for spooky season. One can only hope that the ghosts haunting the technical-spectacle of the show’s design vanish into the ephemeral ether before the production itself closes.
Running Time: Approximately 100 minutes with no intermission*
The Woman in Black plays through November 17th 2024 at The Keegan Theatre— 1742 Church St. NW in the Dupont Circle neighborhood of Washington, DC. Tickets are available by calling the box office at 202-265-3767 or by purchasing them in advance online.
*Due to the nature of the production, should you need to leave the auditorium at any time during the performance, you will not be able to be reseated.
