The Woman in Black Begins Next Week
For Immediate Release
Media Contact: John Karastamatis, Sue Toth, Erin Nantais – Mirvish Productions
DID YOU KNOW THE WOMAN IN BLACK IS
THE OTHER CHRISTMAS GHOST STORY
BEGINS NEXT WEEK
CAA THEATRE | DECEMBER 4, 2025 – JANUARY 4, 2026
The Woman in Black is a ghost story that’s also a celebration of the power of human imagination and of theatre itself.
The story begins with the words “It was 9:30 on Christmas Eve …”
In fact, the play was written for the Christmas slot at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough UK (the theatre that Sir Alan Ayckbourn ran from 1972 to 2009). The show was so successful it moved to London’s West End, where it played for 33 years — the second-longest running play in world theatre. (The Mousetrap holds the record for the longest-running play. It’s still going, now in its 73rd year.)
The same year that the West End run of The Woman in Black began, the story was also adapted into a film that was broadcast on Christmas Eve 1989 on ITV in the UK. It received rave reviews and was seen by over 10 million in its original and only airing. Because the film could not be broadcast again due to a distribution conflict among the right holders, it became legendary. Eventually the film was restored and issued as a DVD.
Ghost stories on Christmas Eve is a long-held British tradition. Perhaps the most famous Christmas ghost story is A Christmas Carol which was published in 1843 and has been adapted into many other mediums. To this day, the 1952 David Lean film adaptation, starring Alastair Sims, is shown on TV around the world on Christmas Eve, and stage adaptations are performed in theatres everywhere.
The Woman in Black is the other Christmas ghost story.
The London stage production The Woman in Black ran so long that it has a roll call of some of Britian’s best talent joining the cast over the years. Some of them got their start in the London production; among them Joseph Fiennes, who made his professional debut in the play’s fifth year, a few years later he became an international star in the title role of the Oscar-winning Best Film Shakespeare in Love. Sherlock and The Hobbit’s Martin Freeman played the same role on the tenth anniversary of the show.
The production arriving in Toronto on December 4th features three actors from the West End production. The Woman in Black will play throughout the holiday season, December 4, 2025 to January 4, 2026, at the CAA Theatre.
Tickets are available at mirvish.com or by calling 1.800.461.3333
About the show
A lawyer obsessed with a curse that he believes has been cast over him and his family by the specter of a Woman in Black, engages a skeptical young actor to help him tell his terrifying story and exorcise the fear that grips his soul. It all begins innocently enough, but then, as they reach further into his darkest memories, they find themselves caught up in a world of eerie marshes and moaning winds.
Susan Hill’s acclaimed best-selling novel comes dramatically alive in Stephen Mallatratt’s ingenious stage adaptation. One of the most successful and longest running theatre shows in the history of London’s West End – 33 years and more than 13,000 performances – director Robin Herford’s original gripping production is now touring North America. Seen by over 7 million people worldwide, The Woman in Black continues to delight and haunt audiences of all generations.
The Cast
Three acclaimed actors star in The Woman in Black - David Acton as Arthur Kipps, Ben Porter as Arthur Kipps/The Actor, and James Byng as The Actor.
The Creative Team
Director Robin Herford leads a creative team consisting of Michael
Holt (Designer), Anshuman Bhatia (Lighting Designer), Sebastian Frost (Sound Designer), and Rob Mead (Original Sound Design).