Over the past 40 years, many of Stephen King’s bestselling novels have been turned into hugely successful feature films, TV series, video games and comic books. But only a few have ever made it to the stage.
One of them is “Misery,” William Goldman’s 2012 stage adaptation of the 1987 King novel about a famous romance novelist named Paul Sheldon who is kidnapped and tortured by his deranged No. 1 fan, Annie Wilkes.
Goldman was first tapped in the late 1980s to turn King’s “Misery” novel into a screenplay for the much-acclaimed 1990 film of the same name. His stage play, which Backyard Renaissance Theatre opened Saturday at the Tenth Avenue Arts Center in East Village, draws more from Goldman’s screenplay than the book.
For the screenplay and play script, Goldman changed several key elements from the book, including toning down the cartoonishly graphic violence, beefing up the character of the sheriff, changing the fate of the novel Annie forces Paul to write and the story’s ending. If you’ve only read the book, you’re in for some surprises. If you’ve only seen the movie, it will feel like familiar territory. If you haven’t read or seen either version of “Misery,” buckle your seatbelt. It’s a wild and violent ride.
In recent years, Backyard Renaissance has found its sweet spot producing visceral and unsettling thrillers with elements of the supernatural and psychological horror. “Misery” is the darkest yet. Audience are warned at the box office that the play contains scenes of graphic violence, and they should take the advice seriously. This is Stephen King, after all.
Maggie Carney gives a rich, multilayered and mercurial performance as Annie, who transforms from the sweet and kindly nurse who rescued the badly injured Paul from a car crash to a severely disturbed woman so romantically obsessed with her captive that she’ll do whatever it takes to keep him prisoner at her Colorado mountain cottage.
As the novelist Paul, Francis Gercke gives a tortured and well-sustained performance that’s both physical and intellectual, as he slowly charms and tries to outwit the mentally unbalanced Annie, and gradually rediscovers his love for writing. And Alex Guzman gives a sympathetic performance as Buster, the inquisitive sheriff who suspects Annie may know more about Paul’s disappearance than she’ll it.
Trying to re-create the jump scares, tension and uneasiness of horror cinema onstage without the benefit of filmed close-ups and creepy musical underscoring isn’t easy. But director MJ Sieber does a very good job creating tension, an air of foreboding and even some dark comic twists.
While the story is set in 1987, the show’s background music is a mix of upbeat love songs from the 1950s, perhaps symbolizing Annie’s delusions of a chaste old-fashioned love story with Paul.
Scenic designer Yi-Chien Lee’s multiroom cabin set offers many locations for scenes to play out. Curtis Mueller’s lighting (and presumably projections) are haunting and subtle. Logan Kirkendall created the eerie sound design and Jessica John Gercke designed costumes.
The play runs two hours, 20 minutes, with intermission and is not suited for children or young teens. But if you’re a fan of “Misery,” this production holds up well in all the ways that will matter for fans of Stephen King.
‘Misery’
When: 7:30 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays; 3 p.m. Sundays. Through Dec. 7
Where: Tenth Avenue Arts Center, 930 Tenth Ave., downtown
Tickets: $18-$40
Phone: 760-975-7189
Online: backyardrenaissance.com
