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Fade to
Theatre Charlotte has
a ghost story to tell
by Sean O’Connell
sean@thecharlotteweekly.com
You’ve seen the new “Saw” film and
engaged in some “Paranormal Activity.”
Where do Charlotte’s horror junkies find
fresh scares this Halloween weekend
(and beyond)?
Theatre Charlotte suggests spending
time with “The Woman In Black,”
Stephen Mallatratt’s chilling ghost story
adapted from Susan Hill’s book that has
terrified theater crowds in London’s West
End for more than two decades.
This wasn’t exactly director Vito Abate’s
plan. His intention was to strand fictional
author Paul Sheldon in the cramped
cabin of deranged fan Annie Wilkes for
a production of Stephen King’s “Misery.”
But Theatre Charlotte discovered over the
summer that licensing restrictions would
prevent “Misery” from making its way to
the Queen City, and executive director
Ron Law suggested betting on “Black.”
Abate hadn’t seen
Mallaratt’s play, which
is structured as a show
within a show, though
he was intrigued by the
story of a middle-aged
lawyer with horrific
childhood memories
who confronts his
inner demons after
they’re accidentally
stirred up on Christmas
Eve.
“He realizes that one
way to get rid of such things is to tell them
to someone. He’s never told anyone his
story, so he hires an actor to help him do
this,” Abate said. “They basically re-create
the events in that time in the man’s life.”
That’s not all Abate has to create to
successfully stage “Black.” Chris Timmons
and the production designers have
crafted an old Victorian theater for a set,
leaving the director time to perfect the
production’s sound.
“It’s such a crucial element of the
show,” he said. “It’s almost like one of the
‘Black’
Patrick Hogan
characters itself.”
“Black” contains audio cues that are
not typical to a stage show. Think of
haunted house sounds, and things that
go bump in the night.
“Fortunately, as it turns out, we have
some hardworking sound designers. I
think this will be one of the first shows
(at Theatre Charlotte) where there will
be sound in the back as well as the front
of the theater.”
When asked whether Abate and his
crew have to conjure an actual ghost,
the director coyly guards the truth by
answering, “All I can tell you is that it is
a ghost play.” Surprises are allowed in a
play that’s intended to scare, and Abate
promises plenty of psychological twists
and turns.
“So much of this show relies on the
audience using their imagination,” Abate
said. “This middle-aged man knows nothing
about theater or acting, so the actor
(he hires) must convince him that their
imaginations, and the audiences’ imaginations,
will create a lot of the things that
they cannot possibly bring to the stage.
And this is where the sound comes in,
because we are hearing things happening
without seeing them. I believe that people
very much are going to have pictures
in their minds.
“It’s fun to be scared in a safe way,”
Abate continued. “I think this show
is a way to do that, and it’s perfect for
Halloween.” q
Want to go?
Theatre Charlotte presents “The
Woman In Black” Oct. 29-Nov. 8, at its
space at 501 Queens Road, Charlotte.
Vito Abate directs. There will be a special
Halloween performance Friday, Oct. 30,
at 11 p.m. For tickets, $7-$24, call 704-
372-1000 or visit www.carolinatix.org.
NOVEMBER 10-15•BELK THEATER
704.372.1000 • BlumenthalCenter.org • Group Sales: 704.379.1380
www.SouthPacificOnTour.com
Page 32 • Oct. 30-Nov. 5, 2009 • South Charlotte Weekly
www.thecharlotteweekly.com