Backstage West Critic's Pick

5 Ovation Awards
The Woman in Black - Best Production
Ken Sawyer - Best Director
David B. Marling &Ken Sawyer - Best Sound Design (Intimate Theatre) Desma Murphy - Best Set Design (Intimate Theater)
Robert L. Smith - Best Lighting Design (Intimate Theatre)

2 Ovation Nominations
Joe Hart - Best Lead Actor
Paul Witten - Best Lead Actor

4 LA Drama Critic's Circle Awards
Ken Sawyer - Best Director
David B. Marling &Ken Sawyer - Best Sound Design
Desma Murphy - Best Set Design
Robert L. Smith - Best Lighting Design

1 Additional LA Drama Critic's Circle Nomination
Paul Witten - Best Lead Actor

2 Robby Awards
David B. Marling &Ken Sawyer - Best Sound Design
Ken Sawyer - Best Director

4 ADA Awards
The Woman in Black - Best Production
Jeff Griffith &Bettina Zacar - Best Stage Management
Desma Murphy - Best Set Design
Robert L. Smith - Best Lighting Design

3 Back Stage West Garland Awards Honorable Mentions
David B. Marling &Ken Sawyer - Sound Design
Desma Murphy - Set Design
Robert L. Smith - Lighting Design

"CRITIC'S CHOICE...
If you're in the mood for a righteous scare, scurry through the gathering mist to 'The Woman in Black' at The Road Theatre Company...this finely crafted period ghost story will put you so on edge, you'll likely require a full chiropractic adjustment afterward...the basic plot line is enough to give anyone a permanent bouffant...in Ken Sawyer's masterful staging at the Road the theatrical version is even scarier than the film - and that's saying something...a tour de force for [actors] Hart and Witten, who subtly calibrate the emotional rhythms, from the music hall broadness of the initial scenes all the way to the genuine horror and anguish of the denouement...a frightful, delightful treat!"
- LOS ANGELES TIMES

"CRITIC'S PICK...
A show in which all the spine-tingling jolts are struck at just the right time is a rarity. How unique then is this production, which not only operates with exact timing but, because of its intimate staging, does so in miniature--a pocket watch of terror, as it were. The point here is simply to delight and to scare, and the laughter and screams of the opening-night audience attested that director Ken Sawyer has done his job here and more...Witten, as the appropriately melodramatic performer whose heightened emotions--at first absurd--eventually match the threatening situation at hand, is perfect....truly spectacular specificity and craft of Hart as the slightly buffoonish benefactor who ends up playing a bevy of Gothic characters in his own story. Hart and Witten avail themselves as master storytellers here. In a rare event for Los Angeles 99-Seat theatre, the design elements meet the fine talent onstage. The unimpressive black-box space has been transformed by set designer Desma Murphy and scenic artist David Burnham into a fascinatingly detailed, decrepit London backstage, filled with shadowy curtains, cobwebs, and intimidating, abandoned set pieces, all of which are of course put to use. David B. Marling's sound and Jeff Marsh's original music are to credit for most of the cloying atmosphere and a number of the scares in the show. Their work is impeccable. Most impressive, though, are Robert L. Smith's lights. All credit however must trace back to Sawyer, who had the faith to believe that this proven two-handed spectacle could work in a small space. Not only does it, but we wouldn't wish to see this production in any less intimate a setting. The evening has the feeling of the small group of friends gathering around the fire for a true chiller."
- BACK STAGE WEST

“SPLENDIDLY CHILLING
Shrieks tear the air in the Road Company's production of The Woman In Black the shrieks come both from the stage and from the audience in this splendidly chilling version of Stephen Mallatratt's adaptation of Susan Hill's novel. Hill has written a classic ghost story of a maligned and malignant ghost who never forgets and never forgives. Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the theatre, well, prepare for an ending you won't forget. Stephen Mallatratt's adaptation is brilliantly dramatic and has an added dimension of delineating the theatricality of tale-telling. Ken Sawyer has his finger on the pulse of this excellent adaptation's potential. The two-hander is well served by Witten's cocksure actor/director and his interpretation of the shy proper young solicitor Kipps whose journey into terror has no end. Hart has the plum task of playing many different characters. He gets his laughs as a buxom barmaid, draws full measure of fear from Lawyer Jerome and is reassuringly believable as solid Squire Davies. Robert L. Smith's dim lighting design is punctuated by searing spots in all the right places. Jeff Marsh composed the atmospheric music and David B. Marling did full justice at full volume to the sound design.”
- CURTAINUP.COM

"A MUST SEE...
Often touted as my favorite theatre company in L.A., the Road Theatre has done it again...another remarkable production...a very theatrical, spooky, spine-tingling, suspense-filled ghost story...the spellbound audience jolted in their seats and shrieked out loud time after time in delicious terror...under the brilliantly focused and grippingly captivating direction of Ken Sawyer, these two actors give performances that are so exceptional they nearly defy description...Joe Hart as Kipps (and also mastering a few other characters) is absolutely flawless! His razor-sharp timing and veteran skill personifies the aspiration and dreams of all stage actors when he truly becomes his characters...Paul Witten as the younger actor gives the most challenging and amazing performance of his career. In a stellar, gut-wrenching, difficult performance, he mesmerized us throughout with an award-worthy portrayal that will linger in my memory for a long time to come...Paul's work here marks my favorite single performance so far this year!...Theatre lovers, this is an A+ - no doubt about it!"
- THE TOLUCAN TIMES

"RECOMMENDED
...an atmospheric staging...finely tuned portrayals...impressive lights (Robert L. Smith), music (Jeff Marsh) and sound (David B. Marling and Ken Sawyer)."
- L.A. WEEKLY

“THREE STARS (out of 4)
If Desma Murphy isn’t the most skillful set designer working small scale at L.A.-area theaters, then by God, I’d like to meet her competition. Take a gander at the dilapidated theater Murphy has scared up for “The Woman in Black” at the Road Theatre Company and you’ll quickly recognize why Murphy is as critical an element to the Road’s continuing success as any member of the 11-year old, NoHo-based acting ensemble Hart and Witten both display considerable versatility. Sawyer uses them and all his technical toys, expertly. If you don’t jump or gasp, it’s certainly not the Road’s fault. And kudos especially to set designer Murphy, without whom these kinds of frights would certainly not be possible.”
- DAILY NEWS

“FIVE STARS
a grim, yet fun reminder of one’s scariest encounters. The evening belongs to the actors who engage the audience every step of the way. Hart in a vibrant array of characterizations, both English and Scot, male and female, is wondrous. Kipps’ tale is full of surprises for the actor who must convey that lurid unpredictability to the audience with ease and without exceeding certain limits of believability. Paul Witten not only meets this challenge, but also undergoes a kind of personal transformation that converts the jaunt into a true emotional journey. His is an intensely riveting performance. Ken Sawyer supplies impeccable direction making even the few unchilling moments worth savoring Miss this spine-tingling entertainment -- if you dare!”
- NOHO L.A.

"SUPERLATIVE
The Road Theatre Co. staging of Brit Susan Hill’s gothic ghost story not only ensnares the audience within its tale of a thoroughly malevolent specter, it exudes a bone-chilling terror that seems to burrow right into the marrow. The transcendent performances of Joe Hart and Paul Witten are simultaneously engulfed and amplified by helmer Ken Sawyer, in collaboration with The Road’s award-winning design team of Desma Murphy (sets), Robert L. Smith (lights), David B. Marling/Sawyer (sound), and Mary Jane Miller (costumes)
Sawyer never allows this nerve-searing tale to loose its grip on the audience. Sawyer’s staging devices support but certainly do not overshadow the superlative performances of his two-member ensemble Hart and Witten, establishing an admirable synergetic rapport, keep the through line constantly moving forward, creating a tangible energy right to the emotion-wrenching conclusion given the superlative quality of this production, it could quite possibly rival the London staging of this work!”
- DAILY VARIETY