MISERY Loves Company... at the Bucks County Playhouse

Guest Blog Post :o)

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.

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.

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