The Woman in Black Arrives in Sydney

The most terrifying live theatre experience in the world arrives in Sydney this week. The Woman in Black is playing at the Theatre Royal until 17 August for the final leg of its extremely successful Australian Tour.

The Woman in Black, described by The Guardian as “A Masterpiece” and by the Daily Telegraph (UK) as “The most brilliantly effective spine chiller you will ever encounter”, is the second longest-running play in West End history, after Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap. Susan Hill’s acclaimed ghost story dramatically comes alive in Stephen Mallatratt’s ingenious stage adaptation, a brilliantly successful study in atmosphere, illusion and controlled horror.

This gripping production stars two of Australia’s most acclaimed actors, John Waters and Daniel MacPherson. With a career spanning 50 years, John Waters is well known for lead roles in the film Breaker Morant and the television series Rush, All the Rivers Run, Rake and his 20-year run on Play School. His prolific stage work includes Hair, Godspell and Jesus Christ Superstar in the 1970s, through to the musicals The Rocky Horror Show, They’re Playing Our Song opposite Jackie Weaver and The Sound of Musicopposite Lisa McCune. An accomplished musician, John has toured Australia many times with his one-man show Looking Through a Glass Onion. John previously starred across Australia in The Woman in Black in 2006, opposite Brett Tucker.

Daniel MacPherson has conquered film, television and stage roles across the world in a career that has spanned over 25 years. After rising to fame on Neighbours, Daniel spent two years in the UK on the popular TV series The Bill and starred on stage in Godspell alternating in the roles of Jesus and Judas. Internationally, he has starred in the TV series Strike Back, APB, The Shannara Chronicles and Foundation – based on Isaac Asimov’s book series – and his feature film credits include Poker Face, A Wrinkle In Time and the sci-fi films The Osiris Child and Infini. 

On Australian television, Daniel has had lead roles in City Homicide and Wild Boys, as well as hosting Dancing with the Stars for seven seasons. Most recently Daniel has featured on stage in 2:22 – A Ghost Story in Melbourne alongside Ruby Rose, Gemma Ward and Remy Hii and will next be seen opposite Russell Crowe in the upcoming feature Land of Bad.

The Woman in Black is a testament to the power of imagination” – Limelight

Tour de force performance… five-star production is not to be missed” – Broadway World

Skilfully placed heart-stopping thrills, the play offers a visceral experience unlike any other” – Blue Curtain Brisbane

Written in 1983, Susan Hill’s The Woman in Black has become one of the most successful gothic novels in the English canon. A perfect example of horror and gothic writing, readers are transported to the eerie setting of Eel Marsh House in the small market town of Crythin Gifford in the north of England.

The story is told through the first person narration of Arthur Kipps, who begins the novel too distressed to share a ghost story with his family, and then recounts how as a young solicitor he was sent to oversee the funeral of a Mrs Alice Drablow, a client of his law firm. Along the way he encounters many who seem unwilling or unable to share the secrets of Eel Marsh House and its inhabitants, until he himself encounters the Woman in Black, and begins to unravel the mystery of the haunted past and eerie spectre he sees.

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Season Details

Venue: Theatre Royal Sydney
Season: 30 July – 17 Aug 2024

For more information click HERE