“The Woman in Black”: a ghost story on stage
No longer terrified by haunted houses? Had one too many viewings of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow?”
Head over to the Pheasant Run Theater and settle in for a more simmering scare with the Fox Valley Repertory's production of “The Woman in Black.”
“It's a great theatrical tale, as well as a good story,” said director John Gawlick. “It's eerie, but it's never gory; it's a more psychological thriller.”
The story, which was written by Susan Hill and adapted for the stage by Stephen Malatratt, surrounds a lawyer, whose scripted name is simply Actor, whose life is irreparably damaged after he travels to attend the funeral and settle the estate of a reclusive woman.
“It's an old-fashioned ghost story about a man who's been troubled for years by the memory of a ghost and how it affected his life,” said Ron Rains of Chicago, who plays the disturbed character. “He's trying to do his best to exorcise that ghost from his memory and, in doing so, he stirs up some trouble.”
“My role is Arthur Kipps,” said Alex Hugh Brown of Chicago. “I'm a young actor who is hired by a middle-aged lawyer who hopes to tell the story of a horrible event that happened to him.”
When the lawyer (Actor) fails at Kipps' attempts to coach him in the art of acting, it is decided that Kipps would present the tale, stepping in as the lawyer. In turn, the lawyer will round out the tale by taking on the persona of every other person the tortured man encountered during the ordeal.
“So, we recreate the experience, with me playing him and him playing all the people he met along the way,” Brown said.
Rains and Brown are the sole occupants of the stage throughout the story, except for brief appearances by The Woman in Black, which will be played by three Fox Valley Repertory students.
“It's the most lines I've ever had to memorize, so it's a challenge,” Brown said. “Since there's the two of us onstage, there's no break. When you have a larger cast, you usually have scenes where you're not onstage, where you can regroup and focus on what's next. This is more like a marathon rather than a sprint.”
Because the play is set in England, both actors have been rigorously studying local dialect.
“I had a dialect CD from college that I've been using, and I've been watching a lot of British TV shows to get the intonation down,” Brown said.
“The other guy has to do a lot of dialects, so I don't envy him,” he added. “He has to do more work in the dialect department than I do.”
Rains is tasked with producing 12 British dialects in the course of portraying the various characters in the story, and is spending time with a coach to hone his skills. He has also found help online.
“The British Library has a map online and there are all these stickpins all over the British Isles, and when you click on a stickpin it gives an example of that area and a breakdown, linguistically, of the different sounds,” he said.
The play is being turned into a movie with Johnny Depp this year, but Rains has done his best to ignore it.
“I don't want to be influenced in any way,” he said. “Even by a trailer.”
Both actors can boast high profile Chicago performances in their resume: Brown has recently appeared in the well-received Route 66 Theater Company production of “A Twist of Water.”
“It's the biggest thing I've ever been a part of and what I'm most proud of,” he said.
Brown will move to Los Angeles directly after the play to continue his career.
Rains added that Brown was recently listed by Chicago theater critic Chris Jones as one of the 10 “Hottest New Faces of 2011.”
“He wouldn't mention that,” Rains said. “He's too modest.”
Rains, a Jefferson Award nominee, has been in many Chicago productions and will return to the role of Bob Cratchit for the sixth time in the Goodman Theatre's perennial favorite “A Christmas Carol” immediately following “The Woman in Black.”
Although many theater goers will attend to get into the spirit of the Halloween season, Gawlick believes this story has more to offer than chills.
“The surprising thing about the story is that there's really an honest journey of the gentleman who needs to tell this that really gives the show danger,” Gawlick said.
“We see a lot of horror movies, but this one also has a heart to it. That helps establish (the characters) believability and the audience finds themselves rooting for them and wanting to go on this journey with them.”
Other cast members include Delaney Carani of St. Charles, Faith Weitzner of Bloomingdale and Stephanie Dittemore of Lombard.
The show opens at 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14, and continues on weekends through Oct. 30 at Pheasant Run in St. Charles. Tickets are $29-$39. Visit foxvalleyrep.org.
If you go
What: Fox Valley Repertory's production of “The Woman in Black”
When: 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays, beginning Oct. 14, with the final performance at 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 30, and an additional show at 2 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27.
Where: Pheasant Run Theater, 4051 E. Main St., St. Charles
Tickets: $29 Fridays and $39 Saturdays and Sundays. Dinner show packages are available from $49. Group rates and overnight packages available.
Details: foxvalleyrep.org; (800) 474-3272