Before the houselights went down at Yellow Tree Theatre, actor Nathaniel Fuller entered the stage and paced for several minutes, executing innocuous business, but holding the audience rapt with tangibly rising tension. Fuller's entrance illustrates the high-quality storytelling in Jon Cranney's production of "The Woman in Black," the 1987 play by Stephen Mallatratt.
"The Woman in Black" is the second-longest running play (after Agatha Christie's "The Mousetrap") in London's West End, having opened in 1989. The stage adaptation is far superior to the 2012 film starring Daniel Radcliffe, which uses the novel by Susan Hill for its spine. It may not be great art, but it's what the Brits call "crackling good fun."
In the play, Arthur Kipps (Fuller) has been through a terrifying supernatural experience. He is desperate to explain it to his family and friends, to make them understand, so he has rented a theater to tell his tale and hired an actor (J.C. Cutler) to coach him and play a role in performing the gruesome story.
Cranney shows off his decades of experience with a smart, surefire production. There are moments of genuine suspense and good humor. Along with set designer Robin McIntyre, lighting designer Sue Ellen Berger and sound designer Montana Johnson, Cranney created an atmospheric frame to showcase two great performances.
Fuller and Cutler are the true joys of this production. The two men have been in nearly 20 Guthrie shows together, but they've never shared a scene. They make up for lost time, giving two bravura performances.
There are few things as much fun as watching two great actors reveling in their craft. Cutler and Fuller were clearly having a ball, delighting in two grand, theatrical performances. And the audience had a good time right along with them.
Yellow Tree Theatre is rapidly becoming a destination theater, out of the way in Osseo, but well worth the trip. Co-founders Jason and Jessica Lind Peterson have created a warm and inviting space out of their strip mall location and they produce consistently good theater. Besides, it's only 20 minutes from downtown Minneapolis. "The Woman in Black" would make an ideal introduction.
William Randall Beard is a Minneapolis writer.
