MISERY
Where: The Roxy Theatre, 2657 Quadra St.
When: Thursday, Nov. 23 until Sunday, Dec. 3
Tickets: $25-$37 from bluebridgetheatre.ca or 250-382-3370
The film adaptation of Misery is beloved for several reasons, the most prominent of which is the Academy Award-winning performance by Kathy Bates as Annie Wilkes.
It’s a masterful turn from Bates. She went especially dark during the film’s “hobbling” scene, in which her sadistic character breaks — with a sledgehammer, naturally — the legs of a best-selling author she rescued following a car crash in remote Colorado and is nursing back to health. Suffice to say, it’s one of the most iconic moments in movie history.
It could have been worse, believe it or not: In the best-selling book by Stephen King, from which the movie is adapted, Wilkes severs the man’s foot with an axe and cauterizes the wound with a propane torch.
This knee-knocking scene has presented problems for subsequent stage adaptations of Misery, one of which opens tonight at The Roxy Theatre. “It’s a scene we spent a lot of time on, and I think we’ve got it right,” said Michael Armstrong, who is directing the Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre production. “But I don’t think I should say anything more than that.”
Though Misery is often classified as a horror film, there’s a comedic element to both King’s 1987 novel and Rob Reiner’s film adaptation from 1990, which proved tricky to perfect during Blue Bridge rehearsals, according to Armstrong. His job was made infinitely easier thanks to playwright William Goldman, who won the Academy Award for his screenplay. Goldman’s stage adaptation strikes the perfect balance between black comedy and claustrophobia, and the playwright makes the transition from book to screen to stage a seamless one.
Armstrong credits his cast with helping him navigate the terrain. “If people love the show, it is because the actors have made me look good.”
The casting of Annie Wilkes would have been far more difficult had Naomi Simpson not been available, Armstrong said. Simpson works primarily in film and TV, and because of the recent actors’ strike in the U.S. she had an opening in her schedule. He’s excited for audiences to see both the sweetness and menace she brings to the role. “We sat down and discussed a number of [casting] choices but the one that came to the top of the pile in every conversation was Naomi Simpson,” he said.
Trevor Hinton was cast as Paul Sheldon, the author at the centre of the story. In the film, James Caan plays Sheldon with understated resolve. But on stage, without the aid of editing, the character — who spends the majority of this time in bed — audiences need to believe that the hapless man could survive the torture inflicted upon him by his captor.
With decades of experience teaching fight choreography for film, television and the stage, Hinton’s skillset came in handy. “The part is deceptively simple,” Armstrong said. “But you need a nuanced actor who can engage the audience while lying down.”
It was Armstrong’s job to capture the growing sense of dread that permeates the production. The novel is 380 pages, he said, but the script is 80 pages. Pacing was a huge part of the production, and with only three characters taking the stage — Sarah Anne Murphy plays Sheriff Buster — everyone involved needs to be on their game.
“It starts off slow, and full of space,” Armstrong said. “But it picks up energy as it goes. The extremes to which Annie Wilkes goes increase as the show goes on, so the most important part was establishing the build of tension and horror.”
