What you can't see is scarier than what you can in 'The Woman in Black'
COSHOCTON − A haunting tale for the Halloween season is the next production of the Coshocton Footlight Players.
"The Woman in Black" will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 13, 14, 20, 21, 27 and 28, and at 2:30 p.m. Oct. 22, at the Triple Locks Theater, 685 N. Whitewoman St. The director is Shane Pyle, who also stars as Arthur Kipps.
Ian McCurdy plays a young actor who Kipps has hired to dramatize what happened to him as a younger man. The older Kipps serves as narrator and plays the other roles. While attending a funeral years ago, Kipps first saw the woman in black. She's continued to haunt him and Kipps believes relaying the story will exorcise the spirit. However, both men are drawn into a journey of fear.
The play premiered in 1987 in Scotland and went to London's famous West End in 1989. It closed earlier this year as the second longest running play in West End history with 13,232 performances. The play is based on a 1983 novel by Susan Hill, which has had two movies adapted from it in 1989 and 2012, the second starring Daniel Radcliffe.
"This is a well done horror story for stage. I've seen so many poor ones out there, where it's all jump scares. That's the only appeal of making it a horror play," Pyle said. "The script is written that you really wrap the audiences' imaginations around what's happening and let their own imagination scare them. I've told Ian and my lighting and sound people, it's not what they can see, it's what they can't see that's going to scare them."
Pyle saw the West End stage production in 1997 and has wanted to direct it ever since. Timing didn't work out for various reasons until now. Pyle is best known for directing comedies for the Footlight Players like "The Play That Goes Wrong" last spring.
"I encourage people to step out of their comfort zone and watch this. It's not your typical Footlight Players play. It's not a musical, it's not a comedy. But, we're one of the first in the country to be putting this on as a community theater," Pyle said.
Pyle was going to direct another thriller, "Shining City," but jumped at "Woman in Black" when it suddenly became available. That wasn't the only change as Dave Osso was originally going to play Kipps, but had to drop out.
Pyle has acted and directed before, but it was a small part in "Flaming Idiots" in 2005. This is much different, but he gives McCurdy and the stage crew a lot of credit for making it work.
McCurdy was part of the stage crew for "The Play That Goes Wrong" and thought he would nab a similar role this time. However, Pyle said he was blown away by McCurdy's poise and delivery during auditions. McCurdy played Jem in "To Kill a Mockingbird" last fall for the Footlight Players, but this is his biggest part ever.
"This is definitely one of the best ghost stories I've ever heard. This is one that really plays on the fear of the unknown, fear of what you can's see," McCurdy said of the show. "It's a simple play. There's only us two acting, but it's very personal the story being told here for the characters. It's one that's going to spook you a little bit."
Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for those under age 18. Tickets are available online and by calling the box office at 740-622-2959.
Leonard Hayhurst is a community content coordinator and general news reporter for the Coshocton Tribune with more than 15 years of local journalism experience and multiple awards from the Ohio Associated Press. He can be reached at 740-295-3417 or llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @llhayhurst.
This article originally appeared on Coshocton Tribune: Coshocton Footlight Players' 'The Woman in Black' opens Friday
