Ruby Nancy

The Woman in Black" is a show that many theater groups wouldn't even attempt, and the decision to even include it in Playcrafters Barn Theatre's 2004 season was an ambitious idea.

 You have to give plenty of credit to the brave folks who decided to do this show in the first place, but the real kudos go to the folks who took on the project and made it work.

That's right. They made it work.

Playcrafters has done a fine job with this tough piece — a script that offers plenty of challenges for actors and for tech crews — and audiences can look forward to the chance to enjoy a few chills from this mysterious period play.

Director Stephanie Naab signed on two fine actors, James Driscoll and Tom Naab, for the roles in this show, and topnotch lighting designer Jennifer Kingry is another major asset the director had on board when she needed an expert. The results of their collaboration are pretty darn good.

The premise of "Woman" is not as complicated as it might seem. An older solicitor (Driscoll), haunted by an episode from his young adulthood, hires a theater pro (Tom Naab) to help him act out the troubling section of his memoirs, thinking that will help him deal with the bad memories. The younger character, an actor, ends up taking on the part of the solicitor as they act out the events of the past, which involved the periodic appearances of a ghostly figure (as named in the title).

I've often said that this play — if done as it should be — can be so good that by halfway through the show the audience thinks it sees the woman, too, and that is exactly what happens here. Many will leave the theater just a bit creeped out, and that's the way things are supposed to be. Driscoll, as Arthur Kipps, is pensive and obviously distressed. His work is very good and finely tuned to the script, even as Kipps appears as various other characters from his story. Playing a non-actor who is acting in rehearsal for the first time, for instance, Driscoll's Kipps doesn't differentiate the other characters nearly as well as a real actor (say, Driscoll) would. Tom Naab also does fine work as The Actor, playing that character (who is something of a pompous annoyance) well and making The Actor's emotional investment in the role of young Kipps as complete as possible.

My only quibble small though it may be has to do with the otherwise excellent lighting. At times some costumes appeared to be different colors than they should have been, and some lighting cues took longer than they should have. (With Kingry designing lights, I suspect the latter issue is likely equipment-related rather than intended to be that way, but they only lessened the impact of those cues anyway, rather than spoiling them.)

This is a perfectly fine show that audiences shouldn't pass on, even if this kind of thing isn't your usual entertainment fare. Make a date with

"The Woman in Black." She just might show herself to you, too.

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"The Woman in Black"

When: Through Jan. 25; 7:30 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays

Where: Playcrafters Barn Theatre, 4950 35th Ave., Moline

How much: $8

Information: (309) 762-0330