By: Steve Odenthal
Watching Wait Until Dark in small town Perry, Utah (just a mile short of Brigham City on Highway 89), seated in the intimate and historic Heritage Community Theatre, is a Halloween treat you and your special someone should not miss. You should certainly not miss it if you like the feeling of dark suspense and a heightened sense of dread while the hair on the back of your neck rises involuntarily. This show is a great pick for an October night of cozy trepidation.
The Heritage Community Theatre, founded in 1970 is a northern Utah treasure presenting quality musicals and stage plays, pulling casts and loyal audiences from as far as Salt Lake City to the south and Idaho to the north. Director Diane Robbins’ selection of Wait Until Dark is a timely piece that we have not seen staged locally in a while. It is a low-tech suspenseful thriller that had a four-theater run totaling 373 performances on Broadway in 1966. It was quickly adapted to a movie in 1967 staring Audrey Hepburn and Alan Arkin which became a classic in quiet terror, thrilling audiences around the world. The stage play enjoyed a Broadway revival in 1998. Clearly, its strong beginnigns indicate that the audience is in for a real treat.
The Heritage production depicts a young couple, Sam and Susy Hendrix (Jon Allen and Dawn Allen) in the early 1960’s who have innocently taken possession of a child’s doll which has been laced with an extra cargo that they know nothing about. Unfortunately, there are deviants about their Greenwich Village basement apartment that know, and value the contents all too much. These sinister criminals, Harry Roat Jr/Sr (Justin “Spot” Beecher), Mike Talman (Allan Jawwad), and Sgt. Carlino (Dave McKenzie) will stop at nothing to obtain the contraband. Add to this mix the fact that Susy has recently been blinded and is coming to grips with her altered lifestyle through less than a year of training—it seems that the con-men are going to have an easy time of things. But will they?
The Allens, a real-life couple off stage, bring a familiarity and comfort to the audience that lays the groundwork for the sense of helplessness, hopefulness, and strength that Susy portrays at times on the stage. Ms. Allen works her charm exceptionally well in drawing us into her sightless eyes. Although the basement apartment set (Diane Robbins, David Anderson) is appointed with just the basic necessities that relative newlyweds might have, their possessions (Valerie Odenthal, Kari Kaminsky, Melissa Jones) seems to be proper and in place—right down to the resin grapes and Fanny Farmer Cookbook on display. Once the lights are cut, a virtual battlefield is finely crafted for our own senses to navigate and glimpse in silhouette. Ms. Allen makes us believe Susy is up to the conflict when it really counts. For his part, Mr. Allen shows the proper panic and concern for a man whose world has spun totally out of control during his absence. His desire to secure his wife and home from the evil visitors betrays some take-command marine training in a nicely understated touch.
As for the thugs of the moment, their leader, Roat Jr. is quietly menacing with psychotic touches that keep us on the edge of our chairs wondering –just how crazy is this guy? Beecher is effective in holding the audience with every word. His not-so-happy sidekicks are threatening but likable in a totally Mutt and Jeff manner. Both McKenzie and Jawwad have moments of lightness that produce a laugh, but the audience is never far from the knowledge that they individually and collectively can bring harm. Their portrayal leaves little doubt that they might turn on anyone at any moment, especially now that they realize that they have been vying for the same woman’s affections.
One of the constants of Wait Until Dark for me has always been the portrayal of the young girl, Gloria (Aspen Swapp). This production is right on task with Swapp taking the character through her troubled paces. The character is one that I always believe needs therapy, so much so that watching the character portrayed so well, is somewhat disturbing to me and I wind up grateful that she never gets possession of any of the knives flying around the stage. Ms. Swapp plays the character correctly. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
Officer Jones (Melissa Jones) and Officer Mayne (Amanda Mayne) enter the final scene and attempt to save the day with their flashlights. Although the roles that Jones and Mayne play have limited time on stage and appear in the worst possible lighting an actor could have—total darkness–they stay busy throughout the night lending a technical hand to all the stage management and light booth duties during the show. Their true contribution to the show is simply immense.
Speaking of lighting the dark, special schemes and techniques are all around and throughout each performance. The entire technical team, including Mr. Allen, Kim Merrill, Bruce Baird, work some magic technically as we clearly see things as minute as wisps of smoke from a misplaced oven mitt on a stove burner to the aforementioned lighting of the action on a completely dark set–not an easy task to pull off. Personally, I wish the scene was not written as long as it is, and I admit to employing an old scout trick to acclimate my eyes to the dark; but probably the real issue was my old scout eyes themselves, not the lighting or length of the scene.
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This is an amazing show combining the talents and time of true Theatre people who have exhibited “The show must go on” mentality from the start. What you don’t see is the off-stage personal struggles and losses that this particular cast and crew family has battled through to bring this production to you. You won’t see it—and that is the way it should be. You will not hear from them of the original director who has stayed with the show every step of the way from her hospital bedside as she once again battles her nemesis. Nor will you hear of the production groups personal struggles to bring forward the vision of their hospitalized leader while recovering from innumerable tragedies that these good people—this Theatre Family—won’t tell you in order to bring you an amazing show.
Kaminsky, Odenthal, Jones, and indeed the entire company deserves a special recognition for this production of Wait Until Dark because they have moved mountains in the dark where you could not see to bring you this show and keep it at the high standard set by the Heritage Community Theatre.This is not only good theater, but it is good theater put on by good theater people who have gone through a variety of struggles and tragedies to produce something that is truly wonderful. That is the light in both the cast and crew’s struggles and the darkness of the show itself. You should come and see it.
The Heritage Community Theatre Presents Wait Until Dark by Frederick Knott
The Heritage Community Theatre 2505 South Highway 89 – Perry, Utah 84302
October 6-October 28 every Friday, Saturday and Monday at 7:30 PM
Tickets $10 and $12
BOGO – Opening Weekend only Buy One/Get One special with coupon available online
Contact: 435-723-8392
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