"THE WOMAN IN BLACK," through Oct. 17, Utah Shakespearean Festival, Cedar City, 800-752-9849, running time: one hour, 50 minutes (one intermission)

In the mood for a good scare? If you're like me, easily spooked and not really up for anything in the haunted house variety, a trip down to Cedar City for the Utah Shakespearean Festival may be just the ticket.

A good old-fashioned ghost story, "The Woman in Black" is based on the novel by Susan Hill and adapted for stage by Stephen Malatratt.

A lawyer, Arthur Kipps, has hired an actor to help him tell a tale from his past in the hopes that verbalizing the horrendous events will excise it from his memory.

Together, sort of a play within a play, the two tell the story of Kipps' trip many years ago, when he was sent to handle the affairs of the late Mrs. Drablow, a widow who lived in a remote, gloomy corner of England, accessible only by a causeway during low tide.

At the funeral, Kipps sees a frail, sickly looking woman, dressed all in black. But nobody else admits to seeing her, and no one will talk about her or Mrs. Drablow.

When Kipps gets to the eerie house the next morning, he finds it answers a few questions but raises many more. Who is the woman in black? Why do the residents fear the estate? Why has Kipps been haunted for so long?

In an effort to make the retelling more engaging for the "audience," the actor, played by James Stellos, decides he'll play Kipps — since he has a flair for the dramatic.

That leaves the older Kipps, who repeatedly notes "I'm no actor," to play all the other characters.

The success of this spooky tale comes from the solid two-person cast.

Dan Kremer is Kipps. He does a wonderful job of playing the weary, aging lawyer desperate to rid his memory of those events, yet slips easily into the cloak of the quiet carriage driver, or the shaking boots of the colleague who accompanies Kipps to the funeral.

With sweeping gestures, co-star James Stellos plays the actor coaching Kipps through his "presentation." He handles that part with ease and then portrays Kipps — capturing the panic and consternation of what Kipps must have felt.

But what good is a great ghost story without eerie lighting and hair-raising sound effects? Bravo Donna Ruzika's lighting, which sheds light on an empty theater, an abandoned house and a lonely causeway. And another bravo to Jeff Mockus' sound design, which not only captures the subtlety and warmth of a crackling fire, also brings to life horses, dogs and a woman in distress.

Director and returning artist Carole Healey directs a wonderful, ghostly tale perfect for the Halloween season. But, as you head out into the dark night, you may find yourself a touch uneasy with who might be lurking around the corner. Then again, 'tis the season.

e-mail: ehansen@desnews.com