Local Looks: ‘Woman in Black’ a frightfully good 2-man show at the Covey Center
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- Samuel Wright, left, and Mathew DelaFuente perform a scene during “The Woman in Black” at the Covey Center for the Arts in Provo.
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- Mathew DelaFuente performs a scene during “The Woman in Black” at the Covey Center for the Arts in Provo.
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- Samuel Wright performs a scene during “The Woman in Black” at the Covey Center for the Arts in Provo.
While the temperatures are not falling as fast as fall lovers would hope, that isn’t stopping the Covey Center from bringing the Halloween spirit with their production of “The Woman in Black.”
The play is held in the Brinton Black Box Theater, an intimate theater that allows the audience to be immersed in the show. Walking into the theater, I was excited to see the show. I had never read the book or watched the movie, so I was going into this production unaware of what to expect.
The play by Stephen Mallatratt is based on the novel by Susan Hill and tells the story of a young man who helps to settle the estate of a reclusive widow in a far town. It’s not until he is there that he realizes that the home is haunted by the Woman in Black. The play is set in 20th century England and is created to be a play within a play. While initially I wasn’t a huge fan of this setup, I grew to like it as the show continued and, by the end, I think it was the perfect choice for this production.
“The Woman in Black” is different than most plays because it has a cast of only two people — another reason the play-within-a-play construct worked well. This production had Samuel Wright as “the Actor” and Mathew DelaFuente as Arthur Kipps. I was so impressed by both men’s performances; they brought a professionalism and genuine emotion that helped to bring this production to the next level.
DelaFuente, leaned into his role as Arthur. Throughout the production, there is a bit of imagination required by the audience and I felt that he helped the audience to buy into that with how well he acted around the imaginary props.
Wrights’ performance was also notable. I was impressed by how well he portrayed emotion. While he starts off as a seemingly nervous and soft-spoken character, as the play progresses and viewers piece the story together, Wright would show small bits of grief that really captivated the audience.
This production was directed by Morgan Gunter, had lighting by Spencer Powell and sound design by Robert Seely and Mark Pitt. The Brinton Black Box Theater is smaller than most theaters and, despite the size, the production crew did an excellent job at creating a creepy yet thrilling environment to tell this story. As someone who is not easily scared, I found even my own heart racing throughout the show.
Overall, the Covey Center’s “The Woman in Black” is a wonderful, thrilling production that is a great activity to add to your fall to-do list. There are some scares and surprises throughout the show, so it might be a little too scary for young ones but could be the perfect activity for those with teenagers or for those who enjoy a good thrill. It’s playing now until Oct. 21, and it is a production you won’t want to miss. Tickets can be bought online or at the Covey Center.
