‘Wait Until Dark’ offers seasonal scares at The Ring

The title of this 1966 thriller by Frederick Knott serves as a warning to attendees, for it’s after the lights go out that the scares start piling up.

By that time, "Wait Until Dark" has already built enough tension to keep any guest waiting until dark to see—or at least hear—what happens. The current production at The Players’ Ring in Portsmouth is a taut sensory experience, and a timely Halloween treat.

The play follows a pair of ex-cons who are hired to find a missing doll of great illicit value. Their employer, Roat (Jamie Bradley), forces them into an elaborate scheme to swindle an innocent housewife who may be privy to the doll’s whereabouts. To carry out his plan, one of the ex-cons pretends to be a fictional family friend named Mike Talman (Brian B. Kelly), while the other poses as a detective named Sgt. Carlino (Eric St. Cyr).

Their target is Susy Hendrix (Constance Witman), a blind woman married to photographer Sam Hendrix (Todd Hunter), who inadvertently acquired the doll. While Sam is traveling for work, Susy is left at home to fend for herself, aided only by Gloria (Sophie Dagostino or Daisy Spear), the bratty girl who lives upstairs and occasionally runs errands for her. 

With a carefully crafted plan to make Susy believe her husband is a covert drug smuggler, it seems like an easy job for the trio of inveterate criminals. But Susy proves much more perceptive, resourceful and determined than she appears. Though her blindness may seem like a handicap, it gives her some unexpected advantages, such as the ability to recognize a person by his footsteps, or identify subtle noises, or navigate a room in total darkness. Nor do the con men count on the cleverness and tenacity of the young girl upstairs.

Director Kathleen Cavalaro lets a sense of peril gradually pervade the set. At first, our criminals seem fairly likeable, and we do not fear too much for their blind victim. But, as the plot progresses, the danger becomes more palpable. 

Much of the credit for this goes to set and lighting designer Stan Zabecki. There are numerous lights scattered strategically around the stage, and they are all important. Booth operator Jess Michaud is tasked with precisely coordinating the dimming and brightening of lights. Toward the end, darkness itself becomes a bodiless character. Unable to see what’s happening, the audience must rely on other senses, creating a visceral theater experience.

The lighting—or, at times, lack thereof—calls for some tricky feats from the cast members, as well. Throughout the play, Witman impressively maintains the appearance of sightlessness, silently counting her steps and measuring her paces, and startling the audience, as much as herself, when she meets an unanticipated obstacle.   

As Roat, the play’s most menacing figure, Bradley takes advantage of his lumbering size and thunderous voice to cultivate an environment of tension. On more than one occasion, his stridently barked lines pin audience members to their seats.

Like Bradley, St. Cyr and Kelly must play a role within a role. St. Cyr pulls this off to entertaining effect, playing the “first grade dropout” Carlino with a thick New York accent, while also presenting himself as an authoritative investigator.

Kelly’s performance as the husband’s supposed friend is somewhat flat by comparison, but he manages to create a complex character who faces an inner tug-of-war between his desire to find the doll and his growing compassion for the defenseless woman he’s duping.    

All the action unfolds within the Hendrix apartment, and the set is filled with vintage furniture and appliances, replicating the atmosphere of a 1960s home.

A film of “Wait Until Dark” hit theaters in 1967, starring Audrey Hepburn as Susy Hendrix and Alan Arkin as Roat. A stage production in the late ’90s starred Marisa Tomei, Quentin Tarantino and Stephen Lang. With all that history, it’s a pleasure to watch this local cast and crew put together its own Seacoast adaptation. 

The first act is a bit slow, but the pace picks up after intermission, and the closing scene is one theater-goers will not soon forget. The frightening conclusion, with its burst of violent physicality, is well worth waiting for.

Those looking for some extra scares can stick around after certain showings for late-night performances of the original play “Interference,” written by Jacqueline Benson and Heather Bourbeau, about a group of ghost hunters exploring a haunted New England theater. It runs on select dates through Oct. 31.

“Wait Until Dark” runs through Nov. 4 at The Players’ Ring, 105 Marcy St., Portsmouth, 603-436-8123, www.playersring.org. Show times are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m.; Sunday, Oct. 28 at 7 p.m.; and Sunday, Nov. 4 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15.