So, it has been quite a while since I put up a post of my own - and had planned to write one based on my viewings of MISERY - the World Premiere stage adaptation of the Stephen King Novel at the Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope, PA.
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| BCP & new Christmas tree photo: Johanna Sisto 2012 |
Well - I invited a pal to come by and see the show and HE wrote a review after last evening's performance. There were several changes and tweaks made by then since the dress rehearsal by writer William Goldman (I am HIS "#1Fan) and director Will Frears. Premiere date was November 24. If you read Wendy Rosenfield's review in the Philly Inquirer - many points have been noticed (thanks, Wendy!). The following seems to rebuttal that review...
Enjoy this detailed review by Russ Ceccola! (edited & web-tweaked by Johanna Sisto)
I had the pleasure of seeing Misery at the Bucks CountyPlayhouse last night, and since it’s in many ways a play about the process of
writing, it only made sense that I write about it. I don’t get many
opportunities to write reviews or features anymore, so I’ll chop up a review
and place it here as my only outlet.
After all, I still count myself as a writer.
Adaptations are almost never as good as – let alone better
than – the source material no matter which way you go – from page to screen,
from screen to small screen, from video game to screen, etc. It’s refreshing
when adaptations don’t try to reach that lofty goal and make their own
footprint in the snow. That happened with writer William Goldman’s screenplay
for Misery based on the Stephen King novel. It also happened to a lesser extent
with the Harry Potter movies where screenwriter Steve Kloves started off strong
with a near-perfect adaptation for the first film and then just gave up along
the way as the books got bigger and the number of details he could include got
smaller. Goldman now revisits King’s work in a stage setting and further trims
his own work to an almost minimal script that surprisingly works quite well
with just three characters (two main, one supporting). Direction by Will Frears
and staging elements capture the spirit of both the novel and film in a fresh
presentation that keeps the tension high and the audience enthralled as the
cat-and-mouse game between predator and prey takes place in front of their eyes.
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| L-R Daniel Gerroll (Paul), Director Will Frears, Johanna Day (Annie) and James DeMarse (Buster) Photo: Bucks County Playhouse, Mandee Kuenzle 2012 |
Those unfamiliar with the book or film are not at a loss
with the play. It always helps to have some knowledge of what’s going to happen
before walking into a theater. Imagine the poor theatergoers who see LesMiserables for the first time and expect a happy musical instead of the dreary but
uplifting experience it turns out to be. In the case of Misery, the less known
the better because there are shocking moments and plot elements that would
surprise the theatergoer as much as those reading the novel for the first time.
The trick then is to effectively deliver the known to the people familiar with
the story and the unknown to the newbies meeting Paul Sheldon (Daniel Gerroll) and Annie Wilkes (Johanna Day) for the first time.
The plot for Misery is rather simple, but the devil is in
the details, which tremendously helps the actors to inhabit the roles and the
director to guide them through their action and inaction (at times). Misery was
cathartically written by King as a metaphor for his feelings about being held
“captive” by his adoring fans with constant demands on his time and page count
for more novels and short stories. Paul is a popular author and the creator of
period character Misery Chastain, who has spawned a number of novels. The
latest of these books has just been released. Paul has a car accident and gets
saved by former nurse Annie who turns out to be his self-described “number one
fan.” Annie heals his wounds as any loving nurse would do, but things turn dark
as she keeps Paul to herself and makes him write a new Misery Chastain novel to
her liking.
James DeMarse joins Day and Gerroll in the cast as local
lawman Buster, and his appearances punctuate the action between Paul and Annie
and give the audience an idea of what’s going on outside the fishbowl of
Annie’s house.
Most of the play takes place in one bedroom scene with effective
lighting, shadows and sound effects to bring the passage of time and external
elements (lightning in a thunderstorm, Annie’s car pulling out of the driveway
and returning home, etc.) into the story. Gerroll spends most of the time in
the bed or a wheelchair, and he’s as handy getting around with the wheelchair
as Alice Cooper in some of his tours over the years. Day has a number of
costume changes and a lot of props to manipulate, so these two actors really
have a challenge to hit their marks and rattle off a lot of dialogue that
sounds like it came right from the novel. Their skills were evident in the
performance I attended as there were no obvious lines missed or slow spots.
Much of the novel and book involved Paul struggling out of his bed when Annie
goes to town in order to hatch plans for escape and explore the house. Gerroll
makes a couple of those trips in the play, and he radiates his character’s pain
as he travels to the bathroom or the kitchen, represented by props rolled onto
stage as the bedroom scene disappears behind a curtain.
The biggest hurdles of the play are transcending its single
set and its actors making the audience forget James Caan and Oscar winner KathyBates in the main roles. Frears keeps the story moving at a brisk pace despite
the passage of months and expands things as best as he can with the
aforementioned lighting and staging, including a front door to Annie’s house
where Annie keeps Buster at bay. I was worried going in that the actors would
be caricatures of their filmic dopplegangers, but those fears were allayed in a
matter of minutes. Gerroll retains the sarcasm of Paul from the novel but never
goes into Caan territory, who brings to his roles all of the heavies he played
over the years. Similarly and happily, Day is nothing like Bates and makes the
role her own. She’s tall and slender instead of the shorter and heavier Bates.
Day can’t help but seem like Bates when she talks and gets agitated, but I
think that’s all King here as he gave Annie such distinct phrases as “Mister
Man” and “dirty birdy” and a unique way of cursing without cursing by adding
“cock-a-doodee” and other nonsense to angry sentences. Yes, the casting really
works here, and DeMarse has that stereotypical King lawman – friendly and smart
in a New England sort of way – down pat.
The elephant in the closet is the occasional violence in the
play. Those who know the story know exactly what I’m talking about, but for
those who don’t, I won’t spoil it. The novel is much bloodier than either the
movie or play, and as a huge horror fan with no squeamish bones, I welcome the
director who figures out how to more exactly stage certain scenes as they were
written. Frears and Goldman didn’t take that challenge, but what they include
works wonders with just a little bit of effort. I understand that the play has
already evolved in its short run with different methods of inflicting the pain,
as it were, but the performance I saw was just right for my tastes and expectations.
Misery hangs on the tension that permeates every scene and
conversation. If you don’t allow yourself to forget about your kid’s soccer
practice and those E-mails on your cell phone that you need to read, the play
might not work for you. I let myself go along for the ride and was happy to
come out the other side a little shaken but unscathed like the best carnival
dark rides or funhouses. From the opening screeches of Paul’s car accident
that’s felt in the back seats of the theater to the best, most menacing shadows
I’ve seen in a live setting, the elements all serve to keep that tension and
ramp it up at times per the ebb and flow of the relationship between Paul and Annie.
When Annie stands in the shadows, she commands them. When she brandishes a
needle or other fun implements of hers, she positively frightens. I didn’t
expect music to be part of this show, so a score from J. Michael Freedman
actually was a nice surprise. It comes off as creepy at times and essential to
the environment. Annie’s favorite Liberace recordings are a nice touch, too.
I learned about writer’s rituals from reading Misery way
back when, and as an author myself, there’s a special place in my heart for
this King story. (My ritual upon finishing a book is to treat myself to a
Reese’s Pieces Sundae from Friendly’s. A cigarette and champagne would not be
satisfying.) I encourage fans of either version of Misery or just fans of
theatrical drama in general to see the show. There are only three performances
left this week, so my positive review will likely have no effect. The show
really demands more time in one theater, even in its developmental phase. The
Q&A after the show was mostly positive with an occasional comment from
someone who clearly wasn’t paying attention or never went to a theater before.
This was my first time at the Bucks County Playhouse. It’s a cozy, intimate
theater with no bad seats and plenty to do in surrounding New Hope, decorated
beautifully for Christmas and all those other holidays you may or may not celebrate.
(Festivus for the rest of us indeed!) If you can’t catch this show now, I’m
sure you’ll be able to see it in some incarnation in New York City. I was very
pleased with the play and happy that Annie Wilkes, one of King’s iconic
characters, lives on in another form•
MISERY (#MiseryBCP) next performances:
Friday Dec 7 at 8:00 and Saturday Dec 8 at 2:00 and 8:00. Bucks County Playhouse Box Office (215) 862-2121. More information at www.BCPTheater.org. Follow on Twitter @theaterBCP and @BCPboxoffice
