TENSION is a peculiar thing. You just know, sitting in your comfy seat in the theatre, nothing bad is going to happen to you yet a bit of simple stagecraft can put you on the edge of that seat, making for a suspenseful two hours' viewing.

Such is the effect The Woman in Black, adapted by the late Stephen Mallatratt from Susan Hill's novel, has been having on audiences for almost 20 years, but still theatre-goers are drawn to this macabre tale of the supernatural.

With a cast of just two, it is important the duo can hold the attention while making the unfolding story of Arthur Kipps believable.

What a tale it is, as the young lawyer, Kipps, sets out on a routine assignment to settle the affairs of a recently deceased Yorkshire woman.

Against the brooding mists and moors of the northern county conjured up on stage, Kipps finds he is being drawn - despite himself - into a morbid fascination with the legend surrounding a ghostly female figure.

We too, take his journey of discovery, which cleverly uses basic theatrical trickery to stretch the nerve ends as Kipps realises the awful truth, to his ultimate cost.

Timothy Watson, billed as the actor but who portrays the younger Kipps and Robert Demeger, as the older Kipps, are well matched and deliver good performances. The Woman in Black runs until Saturday.

Review PETER McMILLAN