Wait Until Dark, the final play in Church Hill Theatre’s 2015 Season, opens a three-week run on Friday, November 6 with an opening night two-for-one ticket special. This 1966 classic thriller pits a blind Susy Hendrix alone in her Greenwich Village basement apartment, against the heartless Harry Roat and two con men searching for a drug-stuffed doll. Susy first finds their explanations—and threats—plausible, but soon discovers herself to be in mortal danger. With assistance from the little neighbor girl in the upstairs apartment, Susy devises a plan to launch a counterplot against the thieves. Bravo ranked the movie version, starring Audrey Hepburn, as 10th on its list of “100 Scariest Movie Moments.” While not appropriate for very young audiences, Wait Until Dark makes for an exciting introduction to live theatre, and CHT encourages first-timers to join in the Halloween-appropriate thrills.
Directed by Bonnie Hill, Wait Until Dark features Becca Van Aken as Susy Hendrix and Brian Whitaker as her husband Sam, a former Marine and photographer. Thea Daly debuts as the neighborhood child. Paul Briggs plays Harry Roat, the truly evil mastermind, whose accomplices include Mike Talman, played by Matt Folker, and Sergeant Carlino, played by Nic Carter. James Diggs and Jeff Daly play genuine policemen.
Hill and her production team took on many challenges for this show. 1960s set pieces, lighting, props and special effects are key elements of the play. Bringing order to chaos are Producer Earl Lewin, Assistant to the Director Meg Lenher, Stage Manager Shannon Whitaker and Assistant Stage Manager James Diggs. Earl Lewin also designed the set, with Carmen Grasso, Brian Whitaker, and Jim Johnson doing the set construction. Brian Draper provided the set décor and Michael Whitehill and Juanita Wieczoreck , respectively, constructed special set pieces and properties. Doug Kaufmann designed the complex lighting design and Patrick Fee developed the intricate sound design. Cynthia Fields manages all the props and Debbie Ebersole effectively costumed the actors. Consultant and teacher for the Blind, Paula Wolflin assisted Mrs. Van Aken in her role.
Wait Until Dark runs from November 6 –22, with performances at 8 pm on Fridays and Saturdays and 2 pm on Sundays. Tickets are $18 for adults and $10 for students, with special prices for groups of fifteen or more. Call the CHT office to claim your two-for-one tickets for opening night on November 6! Reservations can be made by calling the CHT office at 410-556-6003 or online at www.churchhilltheatre.org
Front image: Criminal mastermind Harry Roat (Paul Briggs) threatens his slightly underprepared henchmen (Nic Carter, Matt Folker)
Carl Dentinger says
My wife and I are supporters of Church Hill Theatre and attend productions regularly. Wait Until Dark is no exception and our tickets have already been reserved. We have thoroughly enjoyed CHT productions, but also realize that as a valuable partner of the community CHT provides exposure to the Arts. The live theatre in a community gives more than just this exposure;but also gives the actors, producers, writers, set designers, special effects, and I’m sure others an opportunity to share their passions. They do this not just for the audience’s enjoyment but also to hone their talents for personal enrichment, career aspirations, or just their way of sharing and giving to others. I encourage others to support live theatre and their community venues.