Who doesn’t love a good thriller? Movies have been coming up with different ways to add suspense for decades, but they really pulled out all the stops in the early days of scary films. Perhaps the best known gimmicks came from William Castle, the director and producer of some of the earliest horror movies. For Castle’s 1958 film Macabre, a certificate for a $1,000 life insurance policy from Lloyds of London was given to each customer just in case they actually died of fright. For the 1959 House on Haunted Hill, an a large glow-in-the-dark skeleton was attached to a wire and floated over the audience during the final moments of the film. And for 1961’s Homicidal, Castle was reported to have actually had each theatre set up a “cowards corner” where audience members who were too scared to stay and watch the whole film could leave and have their blood pressure checked.
Wait Until Dark was not a Castle film, but clearly his gimmicks caught on for other filmmakers as well. For the terrifying final moments of the film (which has been listed among the scariest moments ever on screen) movie theatres would dim the lights and then turn them off one by one mimicking the action happening on screen, resulting in the theatre being plunged into complete darkness. The trick worked, and the suspense created during the film was highly effective. And now, Spotlight Theatre Company is terrifying the pants off of theatre-goers throughout the month of October with the staged version of this Frederick Knott script.
Wait Until Dark is the story of a blind housewife that becomes involved in three would-be conmen’s attempts to find a heroin-filled doll that innocently came into her husband’s possession. Directed by Linda Suttle, this production has a few rough spots, but it still brings some decent thrills and audible gasps from the audience. And the last 20 minutes are sure to keep you on the edge of your seat.
The success of this production comes from a few truly impressive performances. Soleil Colette Lean as Susy Hendrix is a powerhouse of strength and innocence all at the same time. It is a difficult role to fill, having been made famous by the incomparable Audrey Hepburn, but Lean is certainly up to the task. Lean clearly paid very close attention to her body language and movement, as a result, she is quite believable in the role. Another stand out is Elisabeth Sells as Gloria, who also does a tremendous job. Sells may only be a fifth-grader but she already shows the promise of a truly impressive actress.
The three conmen that take the stage at the beginning have the difficult job of presenting all of the exposition. As a result, they do struggle and the show drags at the start. However, Doug Tisdale as Mike Talman warmed up quite nicely and once he was more comfortable in his conmen-shoes, he actually did quite well. Christopher Young’s Harry Roat also grew, and by the end of the production, he certainly keeps the stakes up and the tension high.
Technically the show is strong as well. The set is very well done (Bernie Cardell) and the lighting (Brian Miller), which is a truly important aspect of this show, is quite effective. Lastly, without giving too much away about the production, the fight choreography truly deserves a mention. Luke Allen Terry did a tremendous job with the choreography in the fight scenes, which truly added to the overall tension and effectiveness of the show.
October is the perfect month to go out and get scared. Sure, haunted houses are a lot of fun, and there are lots of great Halloween-themed activities to be had all over Denver. But you should also put some good scary plays on that list. There is nothing quite like a fun, edge-of-your-seat thriller to ring in the scary season.
Spotlight Theatre Company Presents
Wait Until Dark
Playing through November 5th
Call 720-880-8727
Or ONLINE for tickets and details
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