Misery Annie Laughing | Photo: Gene Witkowski So trapping the author Paul Sheldon in a remote farmhouse in order to build the tension is vintage Stephen King. In one of life’s little “meta moments” on the way to the theater as it happened we were listening to NPR “Fresh Air” program host Terry Gross interview Stephen King, who explained how he loves to trap his protagonists in small spaces (the Trenton family in the car in “Kujo,” or the family trapped in the hotel in “The Shining,” or Andy Dufresne trapped in prison in “Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption”). As Annie’s mind deteriorates, her kitchen walls become mold-ridden, dishes pile up in the sink, and the floor is littered with garbage bags that should be taken out to the trash. Also, note how over time, the set changes, particularly the kitchen. It’s a very classy job of set construction.
I was surprised at how smoothly the stage revolved. Not the only “jump scene” (as they call them in movies) on stage during this thriller.įun (?) fact: Adriano Gatto lies in the very same bed and Loraine O’Donnell swings the very same sledgehammer used by Bruce Willis and Laurie Metcalf in the 2015 Broadway production of MISERY.Īlso, like the Broadway production, the Kavinoky uses a revolving stage (Set Design by David King), allowing us to see an exterior of Annie’s home, her kitchen, a living room, and the bedroom where Paul the writer is recovering. When we heard the “thud” of a very real sledgehammer first hit the very real wood of the stage floor, and realized that it was not a foam rubber prop, we jumped.
You know it’s coming and this play delivers. THE PLAYERS, THE PLAY, AND THE PRODUCTION: Everyone who’s seen the movie adaptation starring Kathy Bates and James Caan remembers, if nothing else, the “hobbling” scene.
And so, as she forces Paul to write a new “Misery” novel, he quickly realizes Annie has no intention of letting him go anywhere. Having killed off the heroine, “Misery Chastain” in what he thought would be the final novel in the series, Annie, the former nurse, and a very lonely woman, is miserable. THUMBNAIL SKETCH: The play version of the beloved Stephen King classic novel and movie follows successful romance novelist Paul Sheldon, who is rescued from a car crash by his “Number One Fan,” Annie Wilkes, and wakes up captive in her secluded home. Runtime: 2 hours and 20 minutes including one intermission (full-service bar in the lounge) THE BASICS: MISERY, a play by William Goldman, adapted from the 1987 psychological horror thriller novel by Stephen King, directed by Brian Cavanagh, starring Adriano Gatto as Paul, Steven Brachmann as Buster (the sheriff), and Kavinoky Artistic Director Loraine O’Donnell as Annie (aka “the Kathy Bates role”) runs through November 20, Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 3:30 p.m., and 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 2:00 p.m.
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