Review: THE EAVES at Nocturne Theatre
The production haunts Glendale through May 24
Has horror finally found its footing on the stage? While there have been gothic horror plays and musicals, they were always a bit subdued, lending more to atmosphere and suspense versus actual scares. But with “Paranormal Activity” frightening the life out of audiences at the Ahmanson last year and now the Nocturne Theatre in Glendale successfully spooking patrons with its new show, THE EAVES, the tables may have started to turn.
Written and directed by Nocturne co-owner Justin Meyer, the story focuses on a woman, Lorraine (Kayla Fast), who seeks out a medium (Kelly Krippendorf) to help her understand seemingly supernatural goings-on in her family home that she and her daughter, Emily (Hannah Rubinstein), have just returned to. Needless to say, things get crazy.
Meyer’s story has a lot of layers and there are many twists (some you will NOT see coming), especially when you realize you can’t necessarily trust Lorraine and her memories as the protagonist. The setting, in an an intimate upstairs theater, adds tremendously to the effect as it is rickety and creaky, adding to the already-spooky atmosphere. The set design by Jay Michael Roberts is ingenious as it has a bedroom partitioned off by a mesh curtain, adding to the show’s ghostliness. As it sits at an angle, it throws the audience’s perspective off. There’s a tree right outside the window and you just can’t not expect it to burst inside at any moment.
Sound and lighting designers Kelby Thwaits and Julia Vollstedt work overtime amping up the ambience, while Costume Designer Tanya Cyr has created a truly terrifying monster (Dave Beaudrie), maybe the most terrifying since we met Art the Clown in his feature debut in 2013. Meyer keeps things moving at a fair clip without ever seeming rushed, and he serves up real scares, even for a diehard horror fan who has seen hundred, maybe thousands of scary movies in my life. Horror is difficult to pull off live, but when it works, the electric rush from the audience and the nervous laughter after are always a bonding experience. Despite the actors being a little quiet—and some uneven performances—THE EAVES is as haunting as a music-box melody winding down in an attic.
Photos courtesy the Nocturne Theatre.
THE EAVES spooks the Nocturne Theater, 324 North Orange Avenue, Glendale, through May 24. Tickets are available at TheNocturneTheatre.com/box-office/.
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