Yes, Halloween is done. But autumn is overall the spookiest time of year. Things are dying, empty branches scrape windows, the days dwindle down. Some people feel that this is when the line between this world and the next becomes thin, even permeable.
Some of us are intrigued by this sort of thing. Othes find it as repulsive as a molting snake. "Woman In Black", the Slightly Askew Theatre Ensemble's current offering, is not for the crowd who prefers slasher films. It's more subtle than that; think Agatha Christie and a nightmare combined.
The script, by Stephen Mallatratt from Susan Hill's near-classic book, does tend to drag a little at first with necessary exposition. But the drawing-in is accomplished and we are left to watch B. Weller and Jared Sanz-Agero explain just what happened when Weller, a young solicitor, is sent on an assignment on what is presumably the northeast coast of England. The script demands that each of them play more than one character, and for the most part, it's marvelously clear when the transitions are made. It's some deft acting on the part of each of them.
And then there's the title character, Shelby Partridge, who has no lines, but moves so silently that she actually caused a scream from one audience member who suddenly noticed her. (Extra plaudits for learning how to maneuver a hoop skirt, by the way; don't pooh-pooh it if you haven't tried it.)
Slightly Askew is calling this year "The Season of the Monster", and this is a worthy addition. Thursday night, November 7, is pay-what-you-wish night. And that address? It's at the southwest corner of Wydown and Skinker, on the street that runs into the intersection at an angle.
The Woman in Black
Slightly Askew Theatre Ensemble
through November 9