A ghostly vision in Wheat Ridge

‘The Woman in Black’ ups the suspense in a Halloween chiller

Now up at Wheat Ridge Theatre Company, The Woman in Black is another spooky entry in this season’s long list of Halloween-inspired productions. Written by Stephen Mallatratt and directed by Selena A. Naumoff, The Woman in Black is a ghost story played on many different levels between the two actors who portray multiple characters — along with the titular ghost.

The playwright uses a device where the action of the play is framed by Kipps (Ronan Viard) by hiring Actor (Patrick Brownson) to help exorcise the horror of a previous encounter and release Kipps from its powerful grip. The Woman in Black (Sina Hirsch) is the shadowy woman seen by Kipps who symbolizes the scary vision he had when he is called upon to execute the will of a deceased client. Her presence is disturbing, to say the least, and represents a frightening manifestation that we all have buried deep within us. And look for the dog Spider who shows up in the second act – well-trained and a scene stealer!

Some of the action is delivered in a third-person style, which can become a bit confusing at times. The play is filled with an extraordinary amount of exposition making the dialogue overwhelming to digest. The script purposely leaves a lot to the imagination, allowing the actors and the audience to fill in the blanks — often with ominous results.

Both Viard and Brownson provide solid characterizations in their roles of Kipps and Actor. They move easily from character to character as called upon by the script. As the Woman in Black, Hirsch provides a creepy presence without much added fanfare as she shows up in different places at different times throughout the play. Her character is an enigma exhibiting a supreme sense of mystery to bring up feelings of terror in both the actors and the audience, which she does with great ease.

Naumoff has directed the play with an extremely suspenseful atmosphere by allowing the script to speak for itself. The production is not overly produced, and she has given the actors the chance to shine by sticking to the dialogue and action as prescribed by the script. Naumoff successfully uses the limited space of Wheat Ridge Theatre Company by capably playing to the audience on three sides.

The Woman in Black is a welcome addition to the Halloween line-up of ghostly plays and as produced by Wheat Theatre Company, it is a satisfying turn in the theatre, especially for those seeking a jolt of the macabre this time of year.