Wait until dark

6.5/10

Just in time for Halloween, the High Springs Playhouse brings Wait Until Dark to the stage for those wanting a spooky or suspense filled evening.

The story follows a blind woman in the 1960’s, beset by malevolent individuals searching for a missing doll. They invade her New York apartment and terrorize her, attempting to take advantage of the fact that she cannot see them and using this to gaslight her and attack her.

Chelsea Chapman is compelling as the lead, Susan. Ms. Chapman uses her skill to strike a perfect balance of vulnerability and resourcefulness, giving the audience a fully fleshed out character who endures through her own cunning and strengths. She captures the nuanced mannerisms that someone who has only recently lost their sight might use to adapt to life with her remaining senses. Ms. Chapman maintains the crucial physical consistency required to create a believable blind character on stage.

Greg Waltermire plays Mike, a character who appears in the midst of the mystery, leaving the audience (and Susan) to wonder about the timing of his appearance. Mr. Waltermire's sympathetic performance is disarming and allows Susan (and the audience) to be pulled in by his charm without much question. His interactions with Ms. Chapman feel authentic and add emotional layers to the story and ultimately build the suspense that is vital to this particular show.

Set in a basement apartment in Greenwich Village, the story essentially takes place in one room, which requires the set designer to make something inherently static feel dynamic and interesting. Fortunately, the care that went into this set is evident. There are various levels, each with their own focal points, there are hallway entrances that inspire curiosity from the audience about what might be waiting in the unseen halls, and there are period appropriate furnishings that give the stage the feeling of a lived-in home. The set designer and those who made the vision come to life deserve praise for making the audience feel like a fly on the wall while the story unfolds.

While the performances of all the actors are enjoyable, some of the characters feel almost cartoonish at times, slinking down the stairs in a manner that calls to mind the song "Mysterioso Pizzicato" and other similar pieces often associated with sneaking burglars in old movies. The slinking, in addition to some exaggerated accents, feels campy at times and out of place in a story that is anything but.

Overall, this production is a reminder that High Springs Playhouse is a contender with theaters in Gainesville and worth the drive for interesting stories like Wait Until Dark, which runs through October 26th. Tickets can be purchased at highspringsplayhouse.com.