The Woman in Black returns 38 years on

It started humbly: a Christmas production in the bar of Scarborough's Stephen Joseph Theatre in 1987 was the first appearance of Stephen Mallatratt's adaptation of Susan Hill's thriller novel The Woman In Black.

The play went on to Hammersmith’s Lyric Theatre in January 1989 - where the reviews were sufficiently favourable to encourage a West End transfer, which began that March.

A record-breaking 13,000 performances and seven million viewers who jumped out of their seats later, the show is still going strong.

Yet another UK tour begins at Chester's Storyhouse (September 24-27), before returning to the north in 2026 at Darlington Hippodrome (January 6-10); York Grand Opera House (January 13-17); Liverpool Playhouse (February 24-28) and Bradford Alhambra (March 17-21).

The Woman In Black tells the story of a lawyer obsessed with a curse he believes has been cast over his family by the spectre of a Woman in Black. He engages a young actor to help him tell his story and exorcise the fear that grips him, which begins innocently enough, but becomes increasingly tense as they delve further into his darkest memories.

This time around, John Mackay - a veteran of the RSC and other theatres and on TV seen in Doctor Who, The Crown and Bridgerton, among others - plays the lawyer, while Daniel Burke - again of the Royal Shakespeare Company, Rose Theatre and others, plays the actor. The director - who has been all over the world staging new productions since that first theatre-bar presentation - is Robin Herford.

More info and tickets here