MISERY – Written by William Goldman; Directed by Lynne Collins. Produced by the Arvada Center Theatre Company (6901 Wadsworth Boulevard, Arvada) through October 11. Tickets available at 720-898-7200 or Arvada Center.org.
You enter the theatre and there in front of you on the stage is a full-sized two-story creepy looking house about to fall down. Don’t wanna go there. Are you already sorry you came? But you’re here, you’ve bought a ticket, sit down and “enjoy” the show. That sense of dread – the feeling that something is going to go terribly wrong does not go away when the whole house revolves and a man is revealed unconscious in a bed. The inside of the house is nearly as creepy as the outside. And off the show goes.
It doesn’t let up in tension until the final moments. Yes, there are moments of levity, followed by nervous laughter from the audience. Most of the humor is brought on by the nearly ridiculously wild mood swings of the man’s “nurse” as he recovers from injuries in an auto accident. The man is Paul Sheldon (possibly a stand-in for Stephen King, noted author on whose book this play is based), noted author of the MISERY series of romance novels. The nurse is Annie, his #1 fan, who may have had a little something to do with said accident, but, nevertheless, “rescued” him and brought him home with her to heal. Immobile and helpless, he is dependent on her for pain relief, food, and comfort. She provides only two out of the three while cajoling him into writing yet another Misery book for her. Her obsession with Misery and his plans for Misery’s future do not coincide, to say the least. The tension builds and things get ugly.
Jacque Wilke as Annie Wilkes (how bizarre!) is a relative newcomer to Colorado theatre but brings an impressive talent to this role. Her need is poignant; her anger is real; her mood swings are terrifying; her methods of getting what she wants ranges from child-like whining to viciously cruel. Wilke’s brings a powerful voice to the character, a strength her small demeanor belies. Let’s just say I wouldn’t want to be asked to walk her to her car in the parking lot. But I’m sure she is a perfectly nice person in real life. I’m sure . . .
Geoffrey Kent, on the other hand, is a familiar face around Denver and an increasingly wide circle of national theatres. He’s one of these actors who can make reading nursery rhymes interesting. For the most part, he is confined to his cell – oh, I meant his bed – in this role. However, the way he makes the pain he is under palpable, his frustration at his need for Annie’s good will, his desperation at retaining his MISERY legacy, the deviousness and brilliance of his plans to free himself of her control – all reflect Geoffrey’s artistry and his command of the character.
The third character in the evening’s performance is Josh Robinson as the innocent Sheriff Buster who shows up at Annie’s looking for clues of where Paul’s body might be found. He provides those “almost normal, but behind the words” kind of scenes that add to the anxiety of the audience. Will he go inside or not? Will Annie fool him or is he suspicious? Is he in danger? Josh’s innocence was both authentic and yet questioning. Just the right notes to his performance to bring the outside world back into the wacky world of Annie.
I’ve described the beauty of the spooky house and setting. Designed by the ever-creative Brian Mallgrave, this is one of the largest sets I’ve ever seen on the Arvada stage. It becomes the fourth character as it rotates from outside to inside, from light to dark. The dark being enhanced and controlled by the design of Shannon McKinney in creating the passing of time, the condition of the weather outside, and the mood of the people inside. Jason Ducat’s multifaceted sound design added brilliantly to the world of the production. In addition to the rainstorms that pounded the building, we also had the oft-used songs of Liberace (Annie’s reading music), random distance TV noises including music from commercials, help coming in the disguise of cars approaching, and more. A tour de force of how to use sound and light together to bring the authentic world to the stage.
As there is no Special Effects designer listed in the program, I am left to assume that it was a joint project involving everyone connected to the production. Let’s just say, you all did a terrific job of making everything work. You know what I mean.
A fitting introduction to the creepy season of October and a thrilling production of this difficult script. Don’t bring the kids!!
A WOW factor of 9!!