Although written by Stephen King, the novel "Misery" contains no sci-fi elements -- no automobiles with minds of their own, no spontaneously combustible children, no vampires. All "Misery" -- which was later made into a hit movie and then a stage play -- has to offer in the way of ghouls is the unbalanced Annie Wilkes.
Annie is not merely disturbed. She is a very special kind of disturbed, so removed from reality that she can't even remember it, much less live in it anymore.
With some changes in detail, Simon Moore's stage adaptation follows the movie's path to the macabre. Annie finds schlock writer Paul Sheldon injured and stuck in his car in a gully after he veered off a snowy mountain road. Instead of taking him to a hospital, Annie, a trained nurse, cares for him at her out-of-the way house.
It seems that Sheldon has written a series of faux-Victorian novels based on a character named Misery Chastaine. For Annie, the books are no mere diversion. They are the alternate reality that fills her empty life.
While "Misery" has a few holes in logic -- where does Annie get her endless supply of medications and hospital supplies? -- it is the ideal choice for Apple Hill's annual Halloween entry. The opening-night audience reacted vocally to some of the more chilling moments and often lapsed into nervous laughter when gasps seemed more appropriate. Still others mistook the show for a "Rocky Horror"-like interactive theater experience, loudly commenting on the action and warning Paul to duck when danger neared.
Still, Ron Ferrara's direction could use a little tightening to prevent the breaks in suspense that occurred opening night. Stepping up the pace of a few lethargic scene changes would help a lot.
Ferrara does, however, get the best out of his actors. After starting out slowly, seeming to be unaware of Annie's psychological "issues" when they should have been apparent from the beginning, Rick Dutrow amps up his performance as Paul's situation becomes more hopeless. His drug-addicted, desperate Paul sells the fear better than his arrogant writer Paul sells the charm.
Westmoreland County theater veteran Beverly Price turns in one of the better female performances of a straw hat theater season that has produced an embarrassment of riches in that area. Price's Annie is an eerily merry and giggling schoolgirl when something pleases her and a volcanic eruption of rage and violence when it doesn't. The character moves from one to the other and back again in a nanosecond, and Price shows not one seam in any of the transitions.
Lynn DeBree's lighting adds to the eerie atmosphere (be careful if you are sensitive to strobe lights) and Robert Capanna III's sound gives the audience a clear understanding of Paul's isolation.
WHERE: Apple Hill Playhouse, Manor Road, off Route 22, Delmont.
WHEN: Through Oct. 23; 2 p.m. tomorrow; 8 p.m. Thurs.-Sat.
TICKETS: $6-$12; 724-468-5050; meal packages with Lamplighter Restaurant.
First Published: October 9, 2004, 4:00 a.m.
