Woman in black
On the 17th of November 2017, my class saw the gothic play ‘The Woman in Black’ at the
Fortune theatre in London. The play was written by Thomas Mallatratt, was directed by
Robert Hertford and featured the acting of Terrance Wilton and James Byng. My essay will
focus on the acting of Terence Wilton who played Samuel Daily in this particular scene.
Kipps introduced the first elements of dramatic tension during the ‘train scene’, a moment
involving a conversation between Arthur Kipps and Sam Daily. Daily, played by Wilton, was
intrigued by the name ‘Drablow’ on the envelope held by Kipps. He conveyed a sense of
interest though turning his head slightly and arching his back downwards to lean into the
letter, this initially suggested Daily’s disbelief and almost unwillingness to accept the name
Drablow. Wilton’s performance developed to illustrate the uneasiness that the letter had
caused him to fee, he furrowed his brows and directed his gaze to the floor as if deep in
thought and rubbed his forefinger and thumb together to further denote a sense of anxiety.
He looked out the window thoughtfully, sitting very still, his eyes almost glazed over. With
pursed, downturned lips, Wilton paused before speaking. Wilton’s use of pause elevated the
suspense. Furthermore, his facial expressions suggested that the name ‘Drablow’ had
serious and dangerous connotations which instilled Kipps’ journey with a sense of onimosity.
Eventually, Wilton uttered the line 'Mrs Drablow?' in a Northern English accent. His quiet and
questioning tone was accompanied by pointing gently to the envelope, this showed Daily's
fear and reluctance to hear Kipps' reply yet the use of gesture implied that he felt compelled
to know. Furthermore, the gentleness of the point implied that Daily felt cautious even
mentioning the name, this further created a sense of unease. The eye contact between Daily
and Kipps intensified the dramatic tension as both spatially and physically Daily and Kipps
appeared as mirror images of each other, with tentative body language and an expression of
anxiety. The train journey had began with Kipps' excitement of a 'few days off' but Wilton's
use of voice, pause and gesture now hinted at the dark, mysterious implications of the name
'Drablow', foreshadowing danger that would await Kipps at Eel Marsh. Far from becoming a
relaxing holiday, these lines signaled that Kipps’ time at Eel Marsh would actually be
traumatising.
As if to decry the danger of ‘Eel Marsh house’ and the tale of mrs Drablow, Kipps scoffs
‘come, you’re not going to start telling me strange tales of lonely houses’. Wilton emphasized
the grim reality of the house, finding no humour in the joke, instead he created and
developed a sense of apprehension by pausing for a long time, almost frozen still.This gave
the audience the opportunity to really consider the irony of Kipps’ statement. Daily replied
mournfully ‘No, I am not’, slowly, deeply and with real purpose. Wilton delivered the line in a
serious, focused and matter-of-fact way, this demonstrated the severity of the line and its
purpose as a warning. This was a compelling moment as it developed the previous action of
the scene whilst the audience anticipated his arrival at Eel Marsh house.
On the 17th of November 2017, my class saw the gothic play ‘The Woman in Black’ at the
Fortune theatre in London. The play was written by Thomas Mallatratt, was directed by
Robert Hertford and featured the acting of Terrance Wilton and James Byng. My essay will
focus on the acting of Terence Wilton who played Samuel Daily in this particular scene.
Kipps introduced the first elements of dramatic tension during the ‘train scene’, a moment
involving a conversation between Arthur Kipps and Sam Daily. Daily, played by Wilton, was
intrigued by the name ‘Drablow’ on the envelope held by Kipps. He conveyed a sense of
interest though turning his head slightly and arching his back downwards to lean into the
letter, this initially suggested Daily’s disbelief and almost unwillingness to accept the name
Drablow. Wilton’s performance developed to illustrate the uneasiness that the letter had
caused him to fee, he furrowed his brows and directed his gaze to the floor as if deep in
thought and rubbed his forefinger and thumb together to further denote a sense of anxiety.
He looked out the window thoughtfully, sitting very still, his eyes almost glazed over. With
pursed, downturned lips, Wilton paused before speaking. Wilton’s use of pause elevated the
suspense. Furthermore, his facial expressions suggested that the name ‘Drablow’ had
serious and dangerous connotations which instilled Kipps’ journey with a sense of onimosity.
Eventually, Wilton uttered the line 'Mrs Drablow?' in a Northern English accent. His quiet and
questioning tone was accompanied by pointing gently to the envelope, this showed Daily's
fear and reluctance to hear Kipps' reply yet the use of gesture implied that he felt compelled
to know. Furthermore, the gentleness of the point implied that Daily felt cautious even
mentioning the name, this further created a sense of unease. The eye contact between Daily
and Kipps intensified the dramatic tension as both spatially and physically Daily and Kipps
appeared as mirror images of each other, with tentative body language and an expression of
anxiety. The train journey had began with Kipps' excitement of a 'few days off' but Wilton's
use of voice, pause and gesture now hinted at the dark, mysterious implications of the name
'Drablow', foreshadowing danger that would await Kipps at Eel Marsh. Far from becoming a
relaxing holiday, these lines signaled that Kipps’ time at Eel Marsh would actually be
traumatising.
As if to decry the danger of ‘Eel Marsh house’ and the tale of mrs Drablow, Kipps scoffs
‘come, you’re not going to start telling me strange tales of lonely houses’. Wilton emphasized
the grim reality of the house, finding no humour in the joke, instead he created and
developed a sense of apprehension by pausing for a long time, almost frozen still.This gave
the audience the opportunity to really consider the irony of Kipps’ statement. Daily replied
mournfully ‘No, I am not’, slowly, deeply and with real purpose. Wilton delivered the line in a
serious, focused and matter-of-fact way, this demonstrated the severity of the line and its
purpose as a warning. This was a compelling moment as it developed the previous action of
the scene whilst the audience anticipated his arrival at Eel Marsh house.
