Misery
Reviewed by Terry Morgan
The Garage Theatre
Through August 12
RECOMMENDED
For some unknown reason, Southern California is having a little theater horror boom at the moment, with at least four shows playing concurrently – Beetlejuice, Exorcistic, The Ants and Misery. As a horror fan, I intend to see them all. I previously expressed my disappointment with The Ants in my review for Stage Raw, so I’m happy to report that The Garage Theatre’s production of Stephen King’s Misery is a great example of how to do the horror genre well. The two lead performances are excellent, William Goldman’s adaptation captures the strength of the story, and sledgehammer fans will be very happy.
Famed romance novelist Paul Sheldon (Rory Cowan), author of the bestselling series of books featuring the beloved heroine Misery Chastain, has been in a bad car accident in Colorado. When he awakens after the crash, he is recuperating in bed at the home of Annie Wilkes (Jade Yancosky), who informs him that she’s his number one fan. She pulled him from the wreck and claims that the phones are down and the roads are blocked from a snowstorm. As days go by, however, Paul begins to realize that Annie is lying to him, and with two broken legs, he is actually her prisoner.
Yancosky is superb as Annie, lulling us in with the goofy character who uses words such as “oogie” and “cockadoodie,” then startling us with the cruel monster behind the silly prattle. Cowan is great in the trickier role of Paul, who has to make being bedridden interesting. He does so, going along with Annie’s quirks, gradually realizing with dismay how terrible his situation is. The fact that Cowan looks a bit like King himself in his costume adds an extra level of resonance. Finally, Gary Williams brings an effective slow-burn of suspicion to his role as Sheriff Buster that gradually adds tension to the play.
Director Cat Elrod gets fine performances from her cast and stages the show expertly, making use of every bit of the small theater space. She manages an especially chilling moment when the lights go down on a screaming Paul, whose cries of agony continue after the lights have gone down for the next scene transition. Goldman’s script is unsurprisingly solid – he also wrote the screenplay to the film – but he’s tightened it up even more for the stage. Especially in an intimate theatre setting, the audience feels as trapped as Paul, which heightens the suspense considerably.
Misery is a darkly humorous show, but doesn’t skimp on the shock value. Fans of the genre should take this battered valentine about artists and their fans to their “dirty bird” hearts.
The Garage Theatre, 251 E. 7th St., Long Beach; Thurs.- Sat. 8 p.m..; through Aug. 12. www.thegaragetheatre.org. Running time: one hour and fifty minutes with no intermission.
