The Woman in White

The Woman in White is probably the best novel from the nineteenth century novelist, Wilkie Collins, who is widely thought to be the first mystery writer. The Woman in White is an epic novel and is notoriously difficult to dramatise. The version performed by the Irchester Players has been adapted for the stage by Nicola Boyce.

The Woman in White is my favourite book, so you can imagine I was very eager to see the play, and I was certainly not disappointed. The direction by Luke Campbell was faultless and the staging perfect. If this is Luke’s first solo attempt at directing, then I think we can look forward to great things in the future from this very talented young man!

There were some very convincing performances from all the cast. Bob Mutch in the role of Walter Hartwright was perfectly cast and displayed considerable acting ability throughout. A very good performance from Mark Rielly as Professor Pesca, but try not to move so much and this will give you an even stronger delivery. An excellent performance from Emma Ellson in the roles of The Woman in White and Laura Fairlie, who managed the contrasts of the characters very well indeed. Some very good character acting came from Chris Taylor as Mr Brooke/Louis and Mr Merriman. Dan Wainwright was very imposing as the evil Sir Percival Glyde - a really classy performance that I enjoyed very much. I loved the wry laugh that you gave on one of your exits! Ellie Miles as Marian Halcombe gave a strong performance in what is a very difficult role - try to vary your intonation a little more and this will greatly enhance your performance. Tom Spence as the ailing Frederick Fairlie did very well. It is not easy to play a much older character, but you sustained the performance really well. Tony Woodward as Mr Vincent Gilmore brought out a lovely sympathetic side to his character. Marc Whitestone was excellent as the flamboyant Count Fosco - you looked terrific, just be careful of your diction when using a strong accent. A good performance too from Erin Webb as Mrs Michelson - try not to rush your delivery and this will give you more clarity. Well done too Kim Hollis as Nurse and Ensemble and Emily Spencer as the Understudy and Ensemble.

The set for this production was minimal and simple but very effective. The vast amount of scene changes were managed perfectly, with the see through curtains being opened and closed by the cast and well-chosen music to mask the changes, this was all very slick indeed. The props were all well-made and utilised. The costumes and wigs were superb and very much in keeping with the period. The lighting and sound quality was excellent throughout the performance.

Congratulations to Irchester Players for this outstanding performance of The Woman in White!

CAROLINE JERVIS                                                                                                                                    NODA EM DISTRICT 7 REPRESENTATIVE.   

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