Still Scary after All These Years: Gothic Tropes and Theatricality in THE WOMAN IN BLACK
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Date
2014
Authors
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Publisher
Inter-Disciplinary Press
Abstract
Stephen Mallatratt's play, THE WOMAN IN BLACK, a Gothic thriller adapted from Susan Hill's popular book, has the distinction of being the second-longest running, non-musical production on London's West End where it opened in 1989. Described as 'spine-chilling,' 'nerve-shredding,' and 'terrifying' it is an effective piece of theatre that has played to over seven million people to date; yet THE WOMAN IN BLACK has received little attention from theatre theorists or historians. Theatre scholars have yet to look at the production for what it can reveal about how a simple, bare-bones theatre piece can resonate with audiences. THE WOMAN IN BLACK does not create its theatrical magic with dazzling spectacle; instead, it relies on many long-standing, conventional theatrical elements; and the story, as laid out in the novel, uses many familiar Gothic tropes to create suspense and tension. This chapter investigates how the Gothic tropes of Susan Hill's novel have been employed to create the effective and frightening stage play, and how the production's theatrical elements (particularly lighting and sound) support and enhance the formal structures designed to induce tension in an audience. The chapter also explores the way in which the novel builds tension through intertextual references and by playing upon Julia Kristeva's concept of the abject. THE WOMAN IN BLACK is a ghost story that presents an encounter with 'death infecting life.' It is an effective Gothic thriller, and the theatrical production stands as a model of how to garner popular acclaim through the effective use of basic storytelling techniques and simple theatrical technologies.
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Keywords
Gothic, Horror, Stephen Mallatratt, Susan Hill, Julia Kristeva, abjection, popular theatre, stage technology, scary, ghost, adaptation, Woman in Black
Citation
Kattelman, Beth. "Still Scary after All These Years: Gothic Tropes and Theatricality in THE WOMAN IN BLACK." in FRIGHTFUL WITNESSING: THE RHETORIC AND REPRESENTATION OF FEAR, HORROR, AND TERROR. ed. Beth A. Kattelman and Magdalena Hodalska. Oxford: Inter-Disciplinary Press, 2014: 37-54.