Turn of the Screw
The Writer's Theatre is doing an adaptation of Henry James' Turn of the Screw at the bookstore stage. This is the one that seats about fifty people and the actors are so on top of you that you worry about someone tripping on your purse.
Young governess goes to strange house in the English countryside to care for two orphaned children while their uncle lives in town. It's a ghost story. Fine.
I'm no stage person, but Writers' Theatre has always done a brilliant job of using small space and minimalist scenery really effectively. So when I sat down, all I saw was three black lace curtains and a chair. When the lights went down, the narrator's voice came from behind. This is always disconcerting.
The weird twist is that it is a two actor show. Girl plays the governess and guy plays everyone else.
[Snoopy, you will have to be all of the animals in our play. Can you be a sheep? How 'bout a cow?]
The "everyone else" is the uncle, the housekeeper (a woman), the 10 year old boy and other random voices. Nerd secret - it reminded me of the GM from back when I was gaming.
So. 90 minute, no intermission and the true test is whether it is ever actually scary.
The building tension in the beginning was really good. I did in fact jump in my chair at one point. But at the climax - it kinda reached up and then fell down into a puddle of mush. And ended with a narrator's epilogue, which I found lame. So I was all:
Wait. Is he dead? Is she crazy? Is there a ghost or not? Is the kid evil? Possessed? Traumatized? And I left feeling less than satisfied. So now I have to go read the book and find out whose fault it is.
Do you ever get the feeling that I just don't like anything?
Young governess goes to strange house in the English countryside to care for two orphaned children while their uncle lives in town. It's a ghost story. Fine.
I'm no stage person, but Writers' Theatre has always done a brilliant job of using small space and minimalist scenery really effectively. So when I sat down, all I saw was three black lace curtains and a chair. When the lights went down, the narrator's voice came from behind. This is always disconcerting.
The weird twist is that it is a two actor show. Girl plays the governess and guy plays everyone else.
[Snoopy, you will have to be all of the animals in our play. Can you be a sheep? How 'bout a cow?]
The "everyone else" is the uncle, the housekeeper (a woman), the 10 year old boy and other random voices. Nerd secret - it reminded me of the GM from back when I was gaming.
So. 90 minute, no intermission and the true test is whether it is ever actually scary.
The building tension in the beginning was really good. I did in fact jump in my chair at one point. But at the climax - it kinda reached up and then fell down into a puddle of mush. And ended with a narrator's epilogue, which I found lame. So I was all:
Wait. Is he dead? Is she crazy? Is there a ghost or not? Is the kid evil? Possessed? Traumatized? And I left feeling less than satisfied. So now I have to go read the book and find out whose fault it is.
Do you ever get the feeling that I just don't like anything?