Haunted by demons of the past (From Swindon Advertiser)

Haunted by demons of the past

9:21am Thursday 18th March 2010 in

• Skip social links
• Print
• Email
•  

IT is a simple piece of story-telling, yet for more than 20 years it has chilled audiences to the bone in the West End.

And Robert Demeger is looking forward to bringing the spine-tingling The Woman In Black to Swindon to see what type of reaction it gets here.

“I think one of the reasons why it has run for so long in the West End is that it is done in the simplest forms of story-telling,” he said.

“There are two men on stage telling the story. You put on a different hat, or a different coat, and you’re a completely different character. You turn a chair around and it becomes a horse and carriage.

“It reminds us of the way we played as children and I think that is particularly important for younger people to see.”

Robert plays the role of Arthur Kipps, a middle-aged lawyer who has been haunted by the memories of something that happened 30 years before.

He wants to share his tale to try to exorcise the demons that torment him and hires an actor to help him. However, the actor decides the best way to get the story across is to act it and he ends up playing Kipps while the older lawyer plays all of the other roles.

This is the fifth time that Robert has taken on the role of Arthur Kipps, twice in the West End and three times on tour.

“I’ve always played opposite a different actor so that helps to keep it fresh,” he said.

“Although I play just one character, he plays lots of different people so I do too.

“There are occasions as an actor where you’re not happy with the number of lines you have or the production isn’t a good as you would like it to be, but you get on with it because you’re a professional.

“Now and again, though, a play comes along that really works in the theatre, and The Woman In Black is one of them.”

Robert is convinced that the audience is the key aspect of the play and its spooky nature.

“It builds up quite slowly, but you can’t start off a story like this with an explosion or ghost flying out at you,” he said.

“You sometimes hear people in the interval say ‘I thought it was supposed to be scary,’ but it really kicks up a gear when you go back in. The audience end up making themselves scared. At one point all that happens is a door opens but everyone screams.

“We build up the tension to start with and then release it.”

And the actor is looking forward to coming to the Wyvern Theatre.

“One of the things I love about my job is getting to visit places I’ve never been to before and exploring them,” he said.

“I’m also hoping to get out to Malmesbury and Marlborough, places like that, to have an explore too. I can’t wait.”