Walk into Curtain Call Theatre in Latham and the atmosphere begins to envelop you before the show even begins, The music is that smokey, blues-y kind of 1940's background music that you heard on all of the great Sam Spade, Casablanca-type films of yesteryear. It's the kind of sound that gets under your skin before anything ever happens. You know, bleeding horns, crying clarinets, mournful-type music.
The stage is set, literally, for an evening of intrigue with Frederick Knott's ÒWait Until DarkÓ. Knott is best known for his quintessential mystery, ÒDial M for Murder.Ó William Fritz' box set is a perfect replica of a Greenwich Village basement apartment, his attention to detail is perfectly executed.
ÒDarkÓ is the story of a couple of thugs, hired by a third party to recapture a doll, used to transport heroin into the States from Montreal . The carrier of said doll is an unwitting participant in the scam. The doll is, supposedly, lost somewhere in the aforementioned apartment occupied by Sam and his blind wife Susy.
The play is not so much about the heroin or the doll as it is a mind game played brilliantly by the cons with the blind wife. The show is terrifying at times, always suspenseful and keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout.
Kathleen Carey as the victim who refuses to allow herself to be victimized gives perhaps the strongest performance ever seen on the Curtain Call stage. She makes her blindness real and her fear palpable. She moves around the stage not always completely at home in her limitations yet rises to the occasion when life-threatening situations force her hand. Michael Hayes as Mike Talman, the con man who worms his way into her life, is the perfect foil for Carey, The two play beautifully off one another.
David Louis and Tony Pallone, the two other members of the gang, create roles that are believable, scary and humorous. Sarah Mele as Gloria, the obnoxious child upstairs is perfect. One wants to give the child the perfect thrashing she so desperately needs. Farnsworth Middle Schooler Lauren Holop Kaufman alternately performs the role of Gloria. Dan Kelly rounds out this stellar cast as Sam Hendrix, Susy's somewhat mousey husband.
The success of the show rests with director Steve Fletcher, who has taken the wonderful play and lets it move at its own pace,. He never slows it down or drags out the dramatic moments longer than necessary. The action is never milked more than it should be, and the light moments are perfect audience rests from the tension. Fritz's lighting design too adds to the drama of the show, particularly in the show's final scenes.
Curtain Call has hit a home run with this thriller. ÒWait Until DarkÓ is a wonderful evening of theater.
