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‘Wait Until Dark’ shocks and thrills

Some stories begin slowly, building up the suspense until they burst. And some grip you immediately, holding you in suspense right from the very first moment.

Millbrook’s “Wait Until Dark” is that second type.

From the very first second, when an apartment door opens and actor Thomas-Robert Irwin steps through, something isn’t quite right. And you’re already hanging on every moment — what is he doing? Does he belong there? Is he acting suspicious or not? He doesn’t say a word, he simply steps through a door. And you’re trapped within the suspense that only grows as the action proceeds.

“Wait Until Dark,” written by Frederick Knott and Jeffrey Hatcher and directed by Morgan Sills, is the story of a blind woman caught up in a terrifying conspiracy. Six actors unfold a tale of intrigue that takes place entirely inside a 1940s apartment, revolving around the MacGuffin of a doll accidentally taken home by a husband, Sam Hendrix (Christopher Josiah Doss). Sam is physically absent for much of the plot, though his presence looms over much of it. His blind wife, Susan, is played by Quinn Warren, who does an amazing job of actually appearing blind — never looking anyone directly in the eye, staring straight ahead no matter what she is doing with her hands.

Susan’s strongest ally is Gloria (Alexis Haigh), a young girl from the upstairs apartment who may be less trustworthy than she appears. Thomas-Robert Irwin plays Sergeant Carlino, an overly suspicious cop. Harry Roat, the only character in the show who is clearly, unequivocally the bad guy, is played by Ethan Levy, and Michael Talman is a military officer on leave, played by Tim Garner. The actors are all strong enough players that no one of them ever steals the show, overshadowing any of the others; this story is very clearly a team effort, and all the better for it.

The dialogue is performed in that quick, clippy old-style speech so common to the old movies. It is tied together with some lovely, subtle touches. The characters don’t need to give long speeches about their back-stories — the stories are implied in small moments that the entire cast pulls off with wonderful subtlety. By the time we find out that Susan wasn’t born blind, we’ve already gotten that idea, and we already know that she lost her sight not all that long ago, and hasn’t always handled it well.

“I can’t go home. My mother’s got someone with her,” says Gloria halfway through the first act, and that single line tells us all we need to know about her dysfunctional family. In the first moment when Sgt. Carlino meets Gloria, Irwin gives a pause, just hesitating for a second, and it’s brilliant. That brief pause gives us a startling insight into Gloria and her troublesome family — of course a police officer would know them, of course he would recognize her. This is never explicitly stated but implied, and the effect on the audience is shocking. In many stage shows, you know that you’re seeing all there is. In this one, you understand that you’re seeing several intersecting stories, slices of the life of each character. In an especially touching moment when Gloria finally reveals that she wears glasses, you will already want to take her home and adopt her.

The first act puts the pieces in motion, and then the second act accelerates the plot. By the time you return from intermission, you can’t wait to see what happens, and the show doesn’t disappoint. Act Two is filled with marvelous twists that lead up to a thrilling finale.

A significant portion of the final piece takes place in the dark. Not blue lights meant to imply dark, an actual darkened theater. As Susan attempts to turn the tables on her tormentors, the lights go out, and the audience can only see as much as the characters can, which is nothing. The audience can’t see, and the audience doesn’t have to — the plot proceeds rapidly without sight, in darkness and flashes of light, and the show is all the more thrilling by the time the lights come back on.

“Wait Until Dark” is phenomenally acted and directed. It plays from June 30 to July 9 in the Poorman Cabaret. And, if you’ll pardon the unfortunate phrase under the circumstance, this show has to be seen to be believed.

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For ticket information and reservations, call 570-748-8083 or visit millbrookplayhouse.org.

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Lou Bernard is an Express columnist and the adult services coordinator at Ross Library. He may be reached at ross13@rosslibrary.org or 570-748-3321.

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