Photo by Michael Brosilow
Review by Melanie Kopriva
If you’re anything like me, Stephen King is pretty much a fiction god. Since my seventh grade English teacher encouraged me to try reading King’s works, he has become my favorite author. I am making it a goal of mine to read and watch everything of his, or anything based on his works. So when my mom, the woman behind “Chicagoonstage” herself, told me that she had tickets to see a play version of Misery, I knew that I had to go see it with her. And I am so glad that I did.
Misery tells the tale of Paul Sheldon (played by the impeccable Steve Key), a romance author who gets into a horrible car accident during a bad snowstorm in Colorado. Sheldon gets rescued by Annie Wilkes (played to a captivating degree by Wandachristine), a former nurse and, as she reiterates throughout, Paul Sheldon’s number one fan. What seems to be a fortunate turn of events after a series of unfortunate ones turns into Sheldon’s worst nightmare, as Annie learns the truth of what Paul intends to do with her favorite book character. Wilkes, unable to cope with the Death of her favorite character, Misery Chastain, keeps Paul in her home, locking him inside and forcing him to undo the damage she believes he has done.
Steve Key does a fantastic job of becoming Paul Sheldon, captivating the audience as he battles with his demons, both internal and external. During the aforementioned car crash, Sheldon breaks his legs. Using one’s full physical capabilities is already difficult, but Key ensures that we believe that he cannot use his legs, using his upper body strength to either wheelchair around or drag himself through the set. Key shines in his performance, perfectly portraying a distressed captive who must cater to the whims of his captor. Come the final act, it is evident that Sheldon, the character, has gone through hell, and Key makes sure that the audience is well aware.
We cannot talk about Misery without discussing one of fiction’s creepiest characters, Annie Wilkes. While Kathy Bates immortalized Annie Wilkes in the 1990 movie adaptation, Wandachristine shines on stage as the deranged ex-nurse. Wandachristine is riveting as Wilkes, showing kindness and empathy one moment and psychopathy the next. She plays Wilkes wonderfully, encapsulating the reality of who Wilkes really is. We believe her immediately when she says she is Paul Sheldon’s “number one fan,” which brings the hobbling scene (movie version, not the novel version) to a whole new light. She is willing to do anything and everything to get what she wants, and her deranged ideology is exemplified by Wandachristine’s performance.
In a setting with the intriguing characters of Paul Sheldon and Annie Wilkes, it is essential to remember the other character that plays a role: the police officer Buster, played by Cisco Lopez. While Lopez does not have much time on stage, the time he does have is played wonderfully. He uses the set to his advantage, playing the part of a concerned officer investigating Sheldon’s disappearance. Lopez and Wandachristine have a great chemistry together, with the latter convincing him that she has no idea what happened to her favorite author. When Lopez starts suspecting that there’s more to Wilkes than meets the eye, he walks around the stage, not fully leaving until he has to.
We also must give credit to the amazing people behind the scenes. Shayna Patel’s claustrophobic set is perfect for this snowed-in cabin. The costumes, done by Lily Walls, are wonderful, especially when we see Sheldon’s legs. The lighting, done by Michael Trudeau, and the sound design, done by Joe Court, steal the show. In scenes where it is thunderstorming, the audience feels as if they’re stuck in the house right there with them thanks to the lighting changes and the thunder taking over the theater. The props, done by Nicholas Bartleson, are realistic and authentic, with my personal favorite being the typewriter (which, just as in the source materials, becomes more than just a typewriter by the end). Nick Sandy killed it (pun intended) with the hobbling scene. As soon as Wandachristine enters the stage dragging a sledgehammer behind her, I was on the edge of my seat. While the hobbling scene is brutal in King’s novel, it became nightmarish in the movie, and it is nightmarish (in the best of ways) on stage. Richard Lundy, as the production stage manager, ensures a captivating experience from the start to the end.
Misery is an American Blues Theater production now playing at The American Blues Theater, 5627 N Lincoln Ave, until October 26. Performance times vary; check the website at American Blues Theater. Find more information about current plays in the Chicago area on our Current Shows page and at theatreinchicago.com.