Review: You'll Love Keeping MISERY Company at B St. Theatre

The B St. Theatre is kicking off its 40th anniversary season with an ambitious piece, and if you’ve never seen a show there, you should make this current production your first. You’ll become their number one fan, just like Annie Wilkes in this adaptation of Stephen King’s 1987 novel, Misery. William Goldman, who adapted both the film and stage versions, appreciated the story’s psychological battle, which is brought to life with suspense and unexpected humor under John Lamb’s direction.

Lamb’s love of the genre shines through with claustrophobic tension made prominent by Eric Broadwater’s set design. We’re able to look into the isolated world of Paul Sheldon as silent voyeurs who want to yell for help but are constrained by an invisible fourth wall.

As you might already know, Paul Sheldon is the successful author of a series about a young, unfortunately named woman – Misery. The title serves as a double entendre of sorts, as Paul is about to endure the most miserable time of his life. After crashing his car in a snowstorm, he wakes up in an unfamiliar room. Hovering over him is a seemingly helpful fan. His self-professed number one fan, Annie Wilkes. He’s lucky that she happened to be following him and saw him go off the road, she says. Indeed.

Real-life married duo Elisabeth Nunziato and Jason Kuykendall play Annie and Paul, lending a unique dynamic to the relationship between the characters. There’s never a sense that they’re acting. Their dialogue is effortless, and Kuykendall’s restraint and reclamation of power is a soothing antidote to the suspense built up by Nunziato’s brilliant oscillation between nurturer and villain. Nunziato elicits moments of sympathy from the audience – a damaged soul who might have been good, if only circumstances were different. That doesn’t mean we aren’t cheering for Kuykendall. We are. Knowing the story, I was uncomfortably anticipating certain scenes and was thankful that the stage version favors suspense over gore. The modifications are clever, including a pivotal scene in which John Lamb’s Buster becomes a little too curious. The characters boast subtlety, intellect, and an unwavering commitment to coming out victorious. Misery depends on it.

B St. gets it right every time.

Misery plays at the B St. Theatre through February 15th. Tickets may be purchased online at BStreetTheatre.org, at the Box Office at 2700 Capitol Avenue, or by telephone at (916) 443-5300.