REVIEW: The Woman in Black – at the Festival Theatre, Malvern, from Monday, June 1 until Saturday, June 6, 2015.

THIS has now established itself as a hardy perennial - popping up on tour as regularly as the mysterious mist on the marshes around eerie Eel Marsh House.

First performed at the Theatre-By-The-Sea in Scarborough in 1987 and currently celebrating its 25th anniversary in the West End, Stephen Mallatratt’s stage adaptation of Susan Hill’s best-selling novel still has the ability to make you wary of things that go bump in the night in this spirited offering!

The book clearly created visions in the mind, while a hugely successful follow-up film used all manner of tricks to terrify, so it was delightfully surprising to see what can be achieved on stage with just a laundry basket, a few chairs, a gauze curtain back-drop, a dilapidated door to darkness and sound effects.

All helped manipulate our thoughts but not as much as the excellent performances of Malcolm James, as the deeply troubled Arthur Kipps, and Matt Connor as The Actor who is seeking to help him bring to life the story which has haunted him for decades in an effort to end the curse.

The dashing young actor decides the best way to end the curse is to act it out on stage - he as Kipps’ younger self - taking up residence in a truly isolated old house inhabited by the ghost of a tortured young woman, while Kipps plays all the other parts.

Between them they gloriously blur the margins, or maybe that should be the marshes, between reality and make-believe in this dark Victorian tale of a solicitor sent north from London to a creepy old coastal house to sort out the paperwork for a deceased client.

Unfortunately for Kipps he stumbles across a story of tragedy that has invoked a malevolent spirit to seek revenge on all who encounter it!

Director Robin Herford remains largely loyal to the original adaptation of this classic ghost story which really does work well with its sparse set and cast of just three - Alidh Ogilvie is the spirit of the Woman in Black.

It plods along steadily at first - unlike the black vision which might win an Olympic sprint spot, but picks up considerable vibrancy before Kipps’ stage ‘surprise’ for his young mentor provides a shock ending.

It could be a touch more scary as much of what makes the audience jump is sparked by sound effects. Slowing down a spectre on speed might help… but it still has enough strong points to stay in the black.