ST. GEORGE — While not exactly the romantic comedy, or syrupy love story one might expect to open on Valentine’s weekend, The Stage Door’s production of the popular thriller Wait Until Dark will definitely get your heart pumping in a whole different way and keep you gripping your date’s arm until the very end.
Although the story is not new — the Broadway production came out in 1966 and the film adaptation starring Audrey Hepburn released in 1967 — somehow Frederick Knott’s plotline and its several twists and turns had been kept from this reviewer’s eyes and ears, making the experience at The Stage Door an even more delicious treat.
You might say I went into it blind — but that would be a groan-worthy pun, considering the principal character is, in fact, blind.
Intriguing and suspenseful from the moment the lights go down, Wait Until Dark tells the story of Susan Hendrix, a blind woman who is beset upon in her apartment by a trio of thugs, anxious to get their hands on a heroin stuffed doll that was accidentally brought into her home by her husband, Sam. To reveal anymore would undermine any newcomer’s experience. But suffice it to say, it is well worth the suspense to see — or not see — what is coming in the end.
Directed by Trey Patterson, with stage management by Kristin McPhie, Wait Until Dark comes to life on stage at the quaint Electric Theater in downtown St. George. Although the location doesn’t have much bearing on the production itself, there is something about the venue’s charming retro interior, and the adjacent art gallery that makes it a wonderful destination. If you happen to arrive early, as we did, there is plenty to occupy yourself with before stepping into the auditorium for the show.
Once inside, the cast and crew immediately made Wait Until Dark an experience to heighten the senses. Well, most of them.
As people who live without their sight often attest, the remaining senses are more discerning as a result of the visual lack, and it seems that is what the director was trying to offer even the seeing members of the audience as the show opened. There are no words spoken for the first several minutes, but the auditory experience served to artificially enhance the viewers’ sense of hearing; increasing the creak of a door opening, the sound of nearby sirens, or the hum of a refrigerator for example.
The stage lights in the opening scene were particularly helpful in setting the scene, casting the entire set into sepia tones, until the lights were flicked on to reveal a minimally adorned, run-of-the-mill apartment space (hats off to Joshua Scott, scenic designer). The apartment had everything it needed for the plotlines to unfold, and the lack of novelty played well into the story, making one realize this could be an apartment in any city, that the eventual danger could lurk in any place.
From the beginning, the cast of six talented actors proved equal to the task of this engrossing tale. Mark Speener was well-suited to the role of Sgt. Carlino — a former police officer who has dusted off his old badge to aid in a new, less savory, kind of undercover operation. His interactions with the clearly off-kilter Roat, played by Coy Andrew Shinn Jr., set the initial tone for the storyline, but it was later that Shinn’s version of Roat and all his evil designs really shined.
Meanwhile Sam (played by Eric Liebhardt), husband to Susan, the aforementioned blind woman, turned in a likeable performance as the caring spouse. His former war buddy Mike (played by Andrew Hansen) did well as the affable, kind visitor, offering his welcomed assistance to Susan in her time of need; while Gloria (Aria Williams) turned in a shining performance as the bratty upstairs neighbor child, whose means of “helping” her blind friend vacillated between impish, to annoying, to cruel and back again in a single breath.
Rebecca Wright, who played Susan, performed a highly believable portrayal of the blind woman. Not only did she maintain extremely credible traits of one who is lacking in vision, her halting speech and slightly off-center gait added to her plausibility as one who could be perceived as nervous or even fragile. Whether the speaking and mobility traits are true to the actress herself, or simply a well-thought-out character choice, it certainly enhanced Susan’s credibility and added real dimension to the experience of watching her.
In a production like this, timing is everything, and each of the cast members, as well as the crew in charge of lights and sounds, deserve praise for offering a fluid backdrop against which this enticing mystery could unfold. One or two faltering lines were quickly recovered and were in no way distracting from the exciting climax and conclusion of the show.
For a healthy dose of suspense and thrills without going overboard, you definitely do not want to wait to enjoy
