August 3 2024
The Woman in White
The Barn Theatre, Southwick
Performed by the Dionysus Theatre Company at The Barn Theatre Southwick
Directed by Vicky Newman
Original novel by Wilkie Collins, written and adapted for the stage by
Robert Tremayne (Artistic Director, Founder & CEO of Dionysus)
‘Not all ghosts haunt you …. some just keep you company’
Such is the phrase guaranteed to lure you into the theatre to be enthralled – perhaps not for the first time – by this gothic story of love, betrayal and greed from the19th century novelist Wilkie Collins. 2024 marks the 200th anniversary of the year of Collins’ birth, so this brand new adaption from Robert Tremayne is very timely.
Wilkie Collins was a huge admirer and friend of Charles Dickens, who was born just a dozen years earlier. Both were prolific writers, often in the course of their stories reflecting and critiquing Victorian social injustice and class inequality. Arguably, much of Collins’ work is also thought to be an early example of the popular detective genre, with the irresistible combination of an old country house, an eclectic bunch of people, and a grisly crime (the favoured recipe of Agatha Christie). However, just as often, his stories incorporated mystery and the supernatural, and somewhat surprisingly maybe: romance, humour and feminism. “This is the story,” Wilkie Collins writes in the opening lines of The Woman in White, “of what a Woman’s patience can endure, and what a Man’s resolution can achieve.”
I’d not visited the Barn Theatre in Southwick before, and what a treat the evening turned out to be; the Barn is situated in the local Community Centre, and is indeed an old barn, recently undergoing a total renovation programme. The result is stunning, sitting below the old beams on the perfectly raked seating behind the stalls, it provided exactly the right atmosphere for what is perhaps Wilkie Collins’ best loved story.
The play opens with a short prologue in a graveyard, and the scene is set. It’s followed with a young drawing master Walter Hartright (convincingly played by David Upcraft) lost in a swirling mist after his train breaks down on the way to his new post in Cumberland. Featuring a creepy signalman warning him of impending doom (deliberately making use of excerpts from Dickens’ ‘The Signalman’) goosebumps are already starting to form. Suddenly a shadow appears on the backdrop, an arm emerges towards Walter, and we have our first vision of the ethereal Woman in White, an escapee from the local asylum, and desperate to reveal a dark secret. At this early point, there’s an audible gasp from the audience, and a tangible feeling of excitement for what is to come. We were not disappointed.
When Walter arrives at the large old country house, he meets his two prospective pupils, Laura Fairlie (the talented and versatile Mollie Simpson), and her half sister Marian Halcombe (strong performance from Lauren Whedbee), who turned out to demonstrate considerable resilience and impressive detective skills! Walter and Laura – who bears a remarkable resemblance to the mysterious woman in white – fall in love, and then everything kicks off: Marian advises Walter that he must leave as Laura is promised in marriage to the odious, conniving Sir Percival Glyde (Kevin Aylward), and in this respect especially, the commanding old Lady Fairlie (unrecognisable as Jenny Delisle) is not to be argued with.
What follows is intrigue, plotting and that mysterious secret to be uncovered, and if you’re not familiar with this story, then I promise no spoilers, save to say that Laura’s marriage to Sir Percival results in her becoming the ‘property’ of an abusive, bullying tyrant, who is intent on making all her considerable wealth his own. (I do think that possibly Kevin Aylward could have given him a bit more bombastic nastiness at times…)
Wilkie Collins spent a good deal of time in Italy during his life, visiting the country many times, consequently weaving an Italian character in several of his books, including ‘The Woman in White’. Enter the flamboyant, beguiling Count Fosco (played with obvious relish by Robb Tremayne). And what an entrance! Fosco’s over-the-top flourishing gestures and foppish Italian charm – not witnessed this side of Bologna – were a sight to behold. Together with flashing eyes and a penchant for a bit of dodgy innuendo, Fosco was a delight. We were later to discover the true character behind the elegant Count, who turns out to be a big pal of Mr Nasty, but I will say no more.
I am able to say, though, that the second act really showed us the characters in more depth as the plot was revealed and, eventually, the ‘dark secret’. In particular Marian proved her incredible strength, and Walter, too, developed from his original benign, mild mannered personality, collaborating with Marian to make a couple of pretty brilliant sleuths.
‘The Woman in White’ is a complex story and consequently results in rather a long play with no fewer than 15 scenes, plus a prologue and an epilogue. Robert Tremayne is to be commended for taking on this substantial project, and writing an excellent adaptation for the stage.
It is not easy to manage scene transitions in small, provincial theatres, who perhaps do not have the necessary expensive stage gear to manage complicated props and sets, but I must say these were brilliantly managed; keeping it simple obviously worked. The music and eerie sounds were also expertly designed by Alistair Lock, to great effect. However, I must also heartily congratulate Matthew Pike, Lighting Designer, who gave this production such tremendous atmosphere, with just the right amount of fog!
Wilkie Collins included these words in his novel: “Any woman who is sure of her own wits, is a match, at any time, for a man who is not sure of his own temper.” All the ingredients mentioned earlier, plus this wonderful nod to the innate power of women, are included in this consummate production, and I have nothing but the highest praise for everyone involved in bringing it to The Barn, and, on this warm summer’s evening, making us feel rather more of a chill than the outside air was accountable for.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
2 hours 45 minutes, including 20 minute interval
Touring
Reviewer: Gill Ranson