A ripple of heightened expectation flows through the auditorium as the audience prepare for a night of flesh-creeping horror at the Oxford Playhouse, writes Helen Peacocke.

The theatre is currently being haunted by Susan Hill's The Woman in Black, adapted for the stage by Stephen Mallatratt and directed by Robin Hereford.

Only two actors are featured in the programme - Frank Barrie, who plays Arthur Kipps the old man with a tale to tell, and Damien Matthews, the actor who helps him tell it.

The woman in black, whose ghostly form stalks the theatre and stage, is not listed in the programme - maybe that's because not everyone can see her . . .

This production takes a moment or two to get going which is unfortunate, as the actors are playing to an audience who are already hyped up and sitting on the edge of their seats waiting to be frightened.

They really want to be drawn into a world of deathly horror and dread, which may be why The Woman in Black attracts such a large number of giggling teenagers.

Once the pace increases however, and the old man stops worrying about how the tale is to be told, those goose bumps begin to form, the heart begins to pound more rapidly and this gripping tale ensnares its audience.

The plot is simple. Arthur Kipps has a need to tell his wretched story in order to be free of its memories and calls on a young actor to help him. Between them they act out the moments leading to the woman's dreadful appearance. And yes it is frightening - and yes, I too grabbed the hand of the person beside me at a certain blood-curdling point, as my heart pounded and fear took over.