Steve Pratt talks to actor/director Robin Herford about his inspired idea of turning Scarborough author Susan Hill’s book, Woman In Black, into a stageplay, which is now celebrating silver success

IT was “good Yorkshire thrift” that led to the creation of The Woman In Black, one of the most successful stage hits still running in London and touring today. Actorturned- director Robin Herford was running Scarborough’s Stephen Joseph Theatre during artistic director Alan Ayckbourn’s absence – while working at the National Theatre in London.

Herford had been advised to spend all the theatre grant or risk losing it the following year. “I found myself at the end of the second year in charge with Alan due to come back and some money left over. I thought, ‘I really have to spend this’ so I thought of doing an extra show,” he recalls.

“Around Christmas time adults get neglected.

If you don’t happen to have children or grandchildren or nephews and nieces you find yourself excluded from the theatre. I thought we’d do a little stocking filler for our faithful followers.

“I had £1,000 to cover set, costumes and four actors. That was the brief I gave the writer Stephen Mallatratt. We put it on in the studio theatre, which was actually the bar where we did occasional shows. We could seat 70 people.

It sold out quite rapidly, and we put on extra performances, including a midnight matinee.”

He could never have imagined that 25 years later he would still be directing that play around the world – and the evening before we spoke, Herford was taking one of the leading roles after the actor’s wife was taken to hospital.

He is used to playing lawyer Arthur Kipps, having been in the touring cast in New Zealand, India, Singapore and Hong Kong. “I was on stage last night and it was a real buzz and a rush,” he says. “I’ve played the part from time to time. I started as a director, from being an actor, and I still find it a really helpful to experience what I’m asking other actors to do.”

Not that he’d welcome a long run in the role.

“I would hate to fall out of love with it and get sickened by it,” he says. “The temptation is there. It’s one of those strange plays where the more you work on it, the more you realise what a good piece it is.”

The play has a North Yorkshire connection with Scarborough-based Susan Hill, who wrote the spine-chilling book. The production is coming home, not to the Stephen Joseph Theatre – which premiered the play in 1987 at its old site – but the much larger 2,500-seat Futurist Theatre.

“The venue couldn’t be more different to the original studio. The Futurist is going to be a challenge, but the production has played big theatres before, like Manchester Palace.”

The first production transferred to London, in 1989, and is now in its 23rd year, having been seen by more than seven million people. There have been regular UK tours and considerable success abroad.

Herford says he still has to pinch himself to believe it’s happened. “It’s become a sort of selfperpetuating institution,” he says. “The fact we survived is partly because the Duchess – a tiny theatre with 432 seats – is perfect for us and very much imperfect for anything else.

“We went originally into the Strand Theatre, with more than 1,000 seats, and were doing all right. Then we were in the Duchess, but got pushed out. Maybe it did us a favour because we went to the Fortune. Over the years percentages have crept up and it’s looking fairly healthy.”

The release of a film version, with Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe, earlier this year, has helped the play reach a new audience – and resulted in fan letters to him being left at the stage door.

“I was worried about the effect of the film on the play, but it’s done us good and got the name out there,” says Herford. “I enjoyed the film. I thought some of it was beautifully shot and the performances were good. What surprised me – and I suppose it shouldn’t have as it’s a film – is that they changed key parts.

“We did a Q and A after the first night of the tour, in Bath. I asked a group of maybe 100 students – 15 and 16-year-olds – how many had seen the play before. Three or four said they had. But half of them had seen the film.”

THE secret of the play’s success, he thinks, is because Mallatratt made an authentic adaptation as of Hill’s story. “We approached her and she said she didn’t think it could be done, we must be mad but if we wanted to go ahead, okay. Her story is just devastating, and that’s at the heart of it.

“I try to see the show in London every five or six weeks just to keep their spirits up and buy them a drink, or occasionally just tweak and say, ‘You don’t have to push so hard there’. If there’s a tour I do the same,” he explains.

“I’d have gone stark staring mad if this was the only thing I did ,but I work very hard to do other projects. Without question it’s the luckiest thing that happened to me in my career.”

Two Alan Ayckbourn plays are currently occupying his attention. He’s directing a revival of Intimate Exchanges, a group of eight plays in which he appeared in the Scarborough premiere production. Then he’ll direct another Ayckbourn play, Sugar Daddies, for Oldham Coliseum Theatre and Harrogate Theatre.

“Alan started me directing and showed me how to do it. Any success I’ve had in that line comes directly from him. He was such an extraordinary inspiration and mentor, and I am hugely grateful.”

  • The Woman In Black 25th anniversary tour: Scarborough Futurist Theatre, Dec 17-23.

Box Office: 01723-365789/374500 and futuristtheatre.co.uk Darlington Civic Theatre, Feb 4-9. 01325-486555 and darlingtonarts.co.uk York Theatre Royal, Feb 25-March 2. 01904- 623568 and yorktheatreroyal.co.uk Newcastle Theatre Royal, May 20-25. 08448-112121 and theatre royal.co.uk