In Levi Holloway’s play, based on the film of the same name, a couple is terrorized by a paranormal entity in their home. 'It is a terrifically wrought production — rightfully heading to Broadway soon,' reviews theater critic Jacquinn Sinclair.
The sky was a hazy yellow-orange Wednesday night as I walked through the doors of the Emerson Colonial Theatre to see Levi Holloway’s thrilling play “” .
The eerie firmament, a byproduct of the Canadian wildfires, was an apropos foreshadowing of what was to come in the horror-centric production based on the film franchise of the same name. In the theater, a voice comes through the speakers of an Alexa device in a cozy kitchen. It’s radio show host Etheline Cotgrave , a paranormal expert. She is talking about ghosts.
And whether one believes in them or not might depend, she posits, on whether one believes in God. Onstage, there’s a two-floor London flat, equipped with blue-gray kitchen cabinets, plants, plenty of books and a large wooden staircase created by scenic and costume designer Fly Davis. This is where a couple named Lou and James reside. They’re hoping to start a family and planning to turn the second bedroom into a nursery.
There’s a lot of love in the relationship — an easy camaraderie and busting each other’s chops — and just as much exhaustion and tension. Lou and James have left Chicago for London for a fresh start due to Lou’s mental health and some other strange occurrences. James’ mom, Carolanne, is worried.
Portrayed by a wonderful Shannon Cochran, Carolanne is a religious woman who keeps tabs on her son and troubled daughter-in-law via FaceTime, and it soon becomes very clear that her worry is not unfounded. Whatever Lou and James are running from has come along to haunt them in their new home. Horror onstage can be a super tough sell. Too many tricks can feel cheesy and overdone, and too few can make a show fall flat and lose its intrigue.
But Holloway’s tight script, superb direction from Felix Barrett, and the clever execution of flickering lights to shadowy ghosts — and a smidge of gore for good measure — make the audience jump, gasp and scream. At some of the scarier points, the darkened house seems to quake with noise. At first, the overly confident and somewhat patronizing James is skeptical of Lou’s concerns. She’s been suffering for a while and taking medication, but nothing seems to help.
No matter how hard she tries, she can’t get James to take her concerns seriously, to really listen to her.
“How do you support me if you don't believe me? ” she asks. Initially, he tries to comfort her and offer explanations. But during a heated argument, Lou asks James to be sincere, to talk to her and tell her something she doesn’t know.
James snaps at her and says that sometimes he looks at her and all he sees is a “bottomless pit of need. Something I can't ever fill. ”However, when things in the house hit a fever pitch, James gets frightened too, and the couple alternates between clinging to one another and cowering helplessly. They call paranormal expert Etheline Cotgrave to help with the poltergeist-like occurrences, but she’s sent running from the couple’s home not too long after her “I’m-here-to-help-you-through-this-spiel.
”” and the magical “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”), lighting designer Anna Watson, sound designer Gareth Fry, and video and projection designer Luke Halls have devised a remarkably creepy world to trap Lou and James in with ghosts, slamming doors and gasp-inducing disappearing acts. It is a terrifically wrought production — rightfully heading tosoon — with more subtle touches, too: occasionally lights from what might be passing cars outside filter through the blinds, making the home feel more real.
Eventually, James’ mom shows up at their home, feeling a visceral pull. She tells him she knew from across the pond that her “son’s soul was in peril. ” And even though James and Lou don’t believe in God, the two know for sure they’re being tormented by something supernatural.
Company One brings 'A New Era' of Black suffragist stories to the stage Jacquinn Sinclair is a freelance arts and entertainment writer whose work has appeared in Performer Magazine, The Philadelphia Tribune and Exhale Magazine.
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