Theatre: Woman in Black has Millennium Forum audiences on the edge of their seats

I don't watch TV programmes about haunted houses or the paranormal, I will avoid books about the supernatural like Joey from Friends putting Little Women in the freezer and no one on this earth could persuade me into a cinema outing to see something like Saw or It or Nightmare on Elm Street.

So why on earth was I sitting in the stalls of the Millennium Forum on the opening night of The Woman in Black, you may ask…

...believe me, I was asking the same thing as the lights dimmed.

Stephen Mallatratt’s adaptation of Susan Hill’s best-selling novel tells the story of a lawyer obsessed with a curse that he believes has been cast over his family by the spectre of a ‘Woman in Black’. He engages a young actor to help him tell his story and exorcise the fear that grips his soul.

The set, draped in greys and blacks, stark and austere, didn't do anything to alleviate my fears of being frightened yet, once the play got going....it was actually very funny!

An immensely wordy two-hander for the two actors, there was much laughter in the auditorium as Malcolm James (Arthur Kipps) tried, tried and tried again to embrace the world of ‘theatricals’ under the tuition of Mark Hawkins (The Actor).

Maybe this isn't as scary as the publicity blurb, I thought as I relaxed into my seat....wrong!

An incredibly slick staging of this play with sound, lighting and the actors working in perfectly synchronicity soon had me jumping out of my skin for reasons I shall not divulge.

Switching between many different characters, the two lead actors created a host of utterly convincing characters by simply changing a hat or a coat or adding a walking stick. So convincing, in fact, that during one of the most frightening sections of the play, I found myself concerned for the imaginary dog Spider which had brought to keep Mr Kipps company as he examined the papers of the deceased Mrs Drablow inside one seriously creepy house.

Over 33 years The Woman in Black has played over 13,000 performances in the West End and has been seen by over seven million people in the UK - it always interests me why people enjoy being frightened. But enjoy it, they do - and so did the packed house of the Millennium Forum on opening night. And remarkably, so did I - although I was still relieved to see the lights come up at the end of the performance.

So cleverly staged, using the device of a play within a play, The Woman in Black was a terrific tale of terror. A huge, meaty, wordy script carried magnificently by two actors....or was it three? Was there really a Woman in Black?

You'll just have to book a ticket to find out. Be quick, The Woman in Black runs in the Millennium Forum until Saturday, May 25. Tickets are now on sale from the Box Office. Telephone 71 264455 (option 1) or visit millenniumforum.co.uk for bookings.