For 12-year-old Amanda, the macabre was tantalizing. She gobbled up horror books like Pennywise devoured kids. One summer, she introduced Stephen King to the mix with four books: It, The Shining, Pet Sematary, and Misery. King’s gripping Misery enthralled her. A tale of a megafan gone mad who holds her beloved author hostage after a suspicious car accident? It was like The Shining but with far more incendiary tempers.
However, William Goldman’s stage adaptation lacks the grit that makes Misery compelling.
Goldman, who also wrote the screenplay for the 1990 film version, somehow takes the bite out of King’s thriller. The 2015 Broadway production (starring Bruce Willis and Laurie Metcalf) was met with middling reviews. Suddenly this harrowing tale becomes more dark comedy than horror or thriller—which is fine, but it fails to capture the spirit of Misery. There are supposed to be bad vibes because Annie Wilkes is a sadistic superfan, not because you can’t take her seriously as a villain. It seems Goldman’s toothless writing takes this stage version out at the knees.
That isn’t to say the actors at American Blues Theater under the direction of Halena Kays don’t make the most of it. Steve Key as famed author Paul Sheldon is a wonderfully deadpan figure, while Wandachristine as Annie digs deep to channel menace and perfects the mystique of the innocent Good Samaritan. What really pulls this production through, however, is the seamless lighting and sound designs by Michael Trudeau and Joe Court, respectively. With a more horror-adjacent script, those simultaneous effects alone would be enough to send shivers down your spine.
Overall, while the stage adaptation of Misery may not live up to the intense horror of the original novel, the talented actors and impressive technical elements at the American Blues Theater bring a unique twist to this classic story. The adaptation may lend itself more to dark comedy than pure horror, but the performances and production quality make it a worthwhile experience for theater enthusiasts looking for a fresh take on a familiar tale. So, if you’re in for a different perspective on Misery, head over to American Blues Theater and prepare to be intrigued by this unique adaptation.
