Actors Co-op Bruce Ladd and Lisa
Renee Pitts star in the Actors Co-op’s production of
“Wait Until Dark” playing at the Crossley Theatre in
Hollywood.
By Janet Nakano
Daily Bruin Contributor
Audrey Hepburn is a tough act to follow, but a modern-day
theatrical reproduction of “Wait Until Dark” is nearly
on par.
The film version starring Hepburn appeared in 1967 and has since
inspired countless reinterpretations. Now, in Hollywood, the Actors
Co-op has restaged Frederick Knott’s murder-mystery thriller
“Wait Until Dark,” which is playing through April 22 at
the Crossley Theatre.
Though Director Thom Babbes adds several contemporary twists to
the production, he keeps the original script largely intact. He
leaves in the one-door fridge and freezer that needs constant
defrosting, but adds a cordless phone into the mix.
These little nuances of past and present create two opposing
forces that work well at times, but not so well at others.
The emergency number to the police station, for instance, is
440-1234, instead of 911. This incongruity might confuse a younger
audience member. In the plot, main character Susy Hendrix (Lisa
Renee Pitts) frantically calls this archaic number as three
criminals relentlessly pursue her in her tiny basement apartment
where this play is set.
On the other hand, the eccentric villain, Harry Roat Jr. (Scott
Damian), is definitely a modern-day addition; Roat has piercings in
more places than just his nose and performs a dance to Fiona
Apple’s song “Criminal,” wearing tight black
pants and holding plastic wrap. Damian’s dance in the dark
definitely adds flavor to his evil character.
What propels Roat’s murderous machination and the plot of
the play appears to simply be a pretty little doll, but inside the
toy is a gold mine of drugs.
This doll ends up in Susy’s possession when an old lady in
Canada asks her husband, Sam Hendrix (Jeffrey Stubblefield), to
carry the doll into the States for her. Unbelievably, the couple
manages to escape the standard drill of questions from airport
security who ask them if they’ve been approached by anyone
asking them to bring anything over the border.
The fact that Hendrix takes the doll without question
doesn’t transfer well to a modern setting. It’s also a
bit of a stretch to believe that the object of desire is merely a
handful of drugs, considering that crimes in today’s society
are on a much larger scale.
Despite these minor flaws, however, audience members can still
suspend their disbelief and enjoy the production.
The far-fetched search for the doll actually allows the
incorporation of other mystifying sub-plots and makes way for
another interesting character, Susy’s neighbor Gloria (Brenda
Ballard).
In the original film and script, Gloria is a girl around the age
of 10. Babbes cast an older woman in his version of the story,
though he maintained the same child-like dialogue. By doing this,
Babbes invents an unusual character, which effectively complements
the play. Gloria’s nonsensical behavior and dialogue provide
much-needed comic relief in the otherwise serious play.
As the play progresses, however, the audience will forget the
discrepancies between the original script and Babbes’
rendition. After Susy is left blind from a devastating car
accident, she becomes caught in a difficult situation as she is
forced to rely on her other senses to escape the fatal pursuit of
the three criminals scheming against her for the doll.
Susy is able to recognize someone’s squeaky shoes and
cologne, and even picks up on the fact that Sgt. Carlino (Jarret
LeMaster) is actually one of the criminals in disguise.
Although Susy’s character captures the strength of a
woman, her vulnerable condition leaves the audience questioning how
she can escape her fate. As the audience sits at the edge of its
seats in absolute darkness, with not even a crack of light through
a door jamb, waiting for the climax of the play, any unbelievable
aspects pass unnoticed.
By and large, even with the gap between past and present,
“Wait Until Dark” is entertaining, thrilling and worth
the money. With the influx of digitized high-budget movies,
sometimes it’s nice to see a traditional murder mystery and
the efforts of a real human being.
THEATRE: “Wait Until Dark” is
currently on stage at The Crossley Theatre, 1760 North Gower
Street, Hollywood, through April 22. Performances are Thursday,
Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Ticket prices
are $18. Call (323) 462-8460 for tickets.Â