The Woman in Black

Alexandra Palace

4.4/5 based on 2138 reviews (read reviews)

Opens: Tuesday, 7 October 2025 -
Booking until: Friday, 24 October 2025
Running time: 2hr. Incl. 1 interval.

Couples (80%) Theatregoers (89%) i

The Woman in Black photos

The Woman in Black description

It's a legend... The Woman in Black is back in town!

Susan Hill’s brilliantly chilling ghost story, The Woman in Black, returns to London for a three-week run at the Alexandra Palace, having terrified audience members of every age for thirty years before taking a break in 2023. The venue, fondly nicknamed Ally Pally, is absolute perfection, an atmospheric Victorian ruin like no other and the ideal venue for a wonderfully frightening smash hit of a show.

This critically acclaimed play blends the intensity of live theatre with a cinematic feel inspired by film noir, creating a unique impact that has made it one of the longest-running productions in West End history. Expect gripping from start to finish, and you won't be disappointed. A thoroughly spooky atmosphere, convincing illusions and a sense of constant horror make it a memorable experience, set to light up the capital all over again. The simple staging enhances the action, scarily effective, along with an unnerving plot that'll see you sleeping with the light on for days afterwards.

The story starts one Christmas Eve, when the junior solicitor Arthur Kipp's step-children ask him to tell a ghost story. Arthur's true story is too scary to talk about out loud, so he writes it down: sent to settle the affairs of Alice Drablow, he spots a spooky woman dressed in black at her funeral, but he's the only one who can see her. At remote Eel Marsh House, Arthur is haunted by the woman. Then a local man reveals the truth: Alice's sister Jennet haunts the house, and every time she appears, a child dies. A powerful story of heartbreak and revenge, it quickly becomes impossible to tell the difference between reality and fiction.

The play first took to the stage way back in 1987 above a pub in Scarborough, soon transferring to the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre before kicking off a West End run two years later in 1989. Now a legend in its own lifetime, it is known and loved for genuinely frightening the audience. This UK tour is directed by Robin Herford, with designs by Michael Holt and lighting by Kevin Sleep.

Buy tickets for The Woman in Black and enjoy a super-scary play that has already been seen and loved by more than seven million people.