The Turn of the Screw

Reviewed by Lovell Estell III
Harold Clurman Laboratory Theatre Company
Through October 31

The Turn of the Screw, Henry James’s novelette involving the supernatural, is one of a select number of short fictional works that have consistently attracted critical valuation. First published in 1898, it’s since been fruitful material for many artistic renderings. Playwright William Archibald’s 1950 drama, The Innocents — which was also adapted into a film, with Archibald and Truman Capote as coauthors of the screenplay — was based on James’s story, and British composer Benjamin Britten turned it into a chamber opera. James was noted for crafting densely textured tales laden with sprawling, maze-like sentences and clauses; he was also a master of the subtly ambiguous, a quality that is especially evident in this particular work.

This adaptation by Jeffrey Hatcher employs only two actors and transpires on a nearly bare stage, with only a chair, white drapes and a few wood-framed linen panels as backdrop. Emily Sulzberger assumes the role of a governess hired by a wealthy “man of stature” to care for his orphaned niece and nephew, Flora and Miles (the former is onstage but is never seen). Sean Span portrays the cruelly indifferent uncle (“you shall never, ever trouble me,” he arrogantly huffs to the governess); the boy Miles; and the beleaguered housekeeper, Mrs. Grose. Described by the governess as “a bit like Hamlet’s Elsinore,” the action unfolds at Bly House, the uncle’s remote country estate.

All seems to be going well until the governess sees (or think she sees), a strange red-haired man and a woman, these being former valet Peter Quint and governess Ms. Jessel, both of whom died under questionable circumstances. When Miles is sent home from school for some terribly bad misdeeds, the persistent presence of these specters drives the governess into fear-stricken panic, as she come to believe they are there to harm the children. Her agitated state inexorably drives Ms. Grose to depart with Flora, leaving Miles as both the object of obsession and an unfortunate, unwilling part of an emotional finale that is, not surprisingly, unmistakably ambiguous.

Whether the ghosts are real or figments of the governess’s overheated psyche has been a question surrounding this work for a very long time. The stage adaptation gives the nudging impression that they are products of a frazzled mind. This is not an easy play to stage effectively, and unfortunately there is little scare or terror in director Don Williams’ surprisingly bland production. Spann doesn’t handle his roles with consistent credibility, and at times it is a task to understand what Sulzberger is saying because she very often speaks in a breathless flurry. The production would also benefit greatly from more imagination by Williams. Johnny Patrick Yoder’s eerie lighting schema is effective and works well with Merve Dobai’s sparse set design. and Michael Mullen’s costumes are attractive.

Art of Acting Studio Theater, 1017 N. Orange Dr., Hollywood; (Performance dates and times vary; contact theater for info) through Oct. 31. (323) 601-5310 or https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/999287. Running time: one hour and forty minutes with no intermission.