Area residents are in for a fright. Love Street Playhouse, a theater company based in Woodland, will be presenting Jeffery Hatcher’s new adaptation of Frederick Knott’s original thriller “Wait Until Dark” from Feb. 16 through March 10 at Love Street Playhouse, 126 Loves Ave., Woodland.
Based in 1944 Greenwich Village, the story revolves around Susan Hendrix, played by Kristen Bennett, a blind woman who is imperiled by con men in her apartment, according to a press release. David Roberts, who is directing the play, spoke on her role in the story.
“The play creates a feeling that she is delicate, and that she is still having trouble dealing with things,” Roberts said. “She wasn’t blind from birth, and by the end of the play you’ll feel there’s a real strength. She has communicated and learned that she can do things, that she is OK on her own and can handle things. It’s a really inspiring part of the play, along with the pure dynamic of the experience that both she and the audience go through.”
This will be Roberts’ third time directing “Wait Until Dark.” However, this will be his first time directing Hatcher’s 2015 adaptation of the story.
“Once I read the script, it had changed significantly in many ways that made it really enticing to stage it again with (an) all new cast and people, too,” Roberts said. “So I was excited to see how this new version was received.”
Roberts said that directing “Wait Until Dark” comes with a lot of challenges for the cast, as the play makes use of darkness to draw the audience in.
“It’s all sorts of challenges for the actors because the main lead actor is not physically blind, so she needs to take on the characteristics and understand what it is [like] to be blind,” Roberts said. “I’ve had several runs of the show before, and I think I’ve always had a good ability to communicate and help the actors with that aspect of it, but that’s almost a challenge.”
Love Street Playhouse owner and Artistic Director Melinda Pallotta worked on the production’s set design. Her husband, Lou Pallotta, helped construct the set before the actors were ready to practice on stage.
“It took us five weeks to put the set together because we wanted to have a really strong, secure, safe working environment for the actors,” she said. “It’s got several stairs and platforms and doors and moving pieces so it was a challenge.”
Pallotta’s favorite aspect of the performance is its use of darkness.
“It truly is thrilling. It’s set in complete darkness, and (to) hear what might be going on onstage that you think is going on … you don’t normally get that in a show,” Pallotta said. “They will be giddy from having been so surprised and gripped.”
Performance dates and times:
Friday, Feb. 16 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 17 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 18 at 2 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 23 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 24 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 25 at 2 p.m.
Friday, March 1 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 2 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 3 at 2 p.m.
Thursday, March 7 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, March 8 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 9 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 10 at 2 p.m.
Tickets can be purchased online at LoveStreetPlayhouse.com or by phone at (800) 966-8865. “Wait Until Dark” is not recommended for audience members under 13 years of age.
