Review: WAIT UNTIL DARK at The Pocket Community Theatre in Hot Springs

Welcome to October! Theatre suspense is so much fun, so I say bring on the scary shows! To start us off, I was able to get a sneaky peek at WAIT UNTIL DARK at The Pocket Community Theatre in Hot Springs, which runs through October 11, and they wasted no time getting me into the spirit with plenty of suspense and even a few jump scares that got me! It's the perfect way to ring in the spooky season.

Written by Frederick Knott and adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher, WAIT UNTIL DARK centers on Susan (Grace Clowers), a blind woman whose apartment becomes the focus of three men searching for something they desperately want. Talman (Sean Blakley), Carlino (Kevin Day) and Roat (James Kendall) construct an elaborate deception designed to manipulate Susan into helping them find it. Also caught up in the situation are Susan's husband Sam (Carl Rayburn) and young neighbor Gloria (Alison Rhodes), whose rocky relationship with Susan becomes increasingly important. As Susan realizes things aren't adding up, the deception turns into a dangerous battle of wits where no one can be trusted.

 It has been a couple of years since I last saw WAIT UNTIL DARK, and apparently that was just enough time for me to forget some of the details—which was great! I remembered the basic premise, but there were plenty of moments when I genuinely couldn't remember what was coming next. That allowed the suspense to work its magic on me all over again.

Directed by Kevin Day, this one was especially interesting to me because of my day job. I work with people who are visually impaired, so I was particularly curious about how Susan would be portrayed.

 It was obvious that Clowers did her research before taking on the role. Because of my work, I found myself watching the little details of her performance—the way she moved through familiar surroundings, oriented herself within the apartment, reached for objects and responded to the people around her.

Most importantly, Clowers doesn't play Susan's blindness as a gimmick. She gives us a complete person with humor, frustration, fear, intelligence and determination. Susan knows her home, where things belong and how her environment should sound. Those details become increasingly important when she realizes something isn't right.

Clowers lets Susan's realizations happen gradually. You can almost see her mentally filing away voices, sounds and pieces of information until she begins connecting them. The audience can see things Susan cannot, so initially we think we have the advantage. However, Susan is paying attention in ways other people aren't.

 James Kendall as Roat is the one who really got me. I didn't even recognize him! I've seen Kendall on the Pocket stage before, but he disappeared into this character so completely that I had no idea.

And goodness, he was nasty!

Kendall keeps turning up the creep factor as the danger grows. He doesn't have to constantly announce that Roat is dangerous; his presence does plenty of that work for him. I love seeing an actor I know transform enough to make me forget who I'm watching, and Kendall certainly accomplished that here.

 Kevin Day always does a great job playing those gruff police-type people, so Carlino fits him well. His commanding voice and no-nonsense manner make you immediately buy what he is selling. Of course, whether Susan—or the audience—should believe anybody in WAIT UNTIL DARK is another question entirely.

Sean Blakley brings another personality into the mix as Talman. He gives him an interesting presence where you find yourself studying him and wondering what is going through his mind. Kendall, Blakley and Day create three distinctly different personalities for Susan to navigate.

Day also pulls double duty as director, which is no small feat in a show that depends heavily on timing. The tension has to simmer, and Day gradually tightens everything around Susan until the danger feels increasingly close.

And then comes one of those jump scares!

Thankfully, Susan has Gloria, played by Alison Rhodes, even though their relationship is rocky through much of the play. These two definitely get on each other's nerves, and Rhodes brings plenty of attitude and youthful energy to Gloria.

Underneath that friction is a relationship that becomes increasingly important. As Susan's danger grows, so does the significance of having Gloria in her corner. I enjoyed watching Clowers and Rhodes move their characters from irritation toward something more meaningful.

And I'm stopping there. No spoilers!

Carl Rayburn rounds out the cast as Sam, Susan's husband, helping establish Susan's everyday life and the apartment as her familiar territory before the danger takes over.

That apartment becomes almost another character. Set construction is credited to John Smid, Larry McQueen, Doug Gilpin, Nathan Constancia, Larry Dickenson and Tami Kendall. Its geography matters because Susan knows where everything belongs, making objects, entrances and exits part of the suspense.

You also can't put on a play called WAIT UNTIL DARK without making lighting essential. Light Designer Larry Dickenson and Light Tech Zoey Lawless turn visibility—or the lack of it—into part of the story. Sound Designer/Tech Leon Cabibi-Wilkin likewise creates a world where footsteps, voices and even silence matter.

As the title's promise becomes reality, suddenly the sighted audience has to listen more carefully too. Where was that person standing? What was that sound? Who just moved? I love when a production makes an audience experience part of its story rather than simply observe it. 

The production team also includes Assistant Director and Stage Manager Lynn McCutchen and Producer Jason Moore. Reno Chacon and Tami Kendall serve as stagehands, McCutchen and Day handle costumes, and Kendall oversees props. Bekah Wilson created the promotional graphics, Jennifer Henley prepared the Playbill, and Dan Breshears serves as Executive Director.

Underneath the thriller is a story about making assumptions about someone else's capabilities. These men believe Susan's blindness gives them an advantage.

Clowers gives us a resourceful woman who listens, adapts and problem-solves when the situation demands it. By the end, I wasn't casually observing the apartment anymore. I was watching doors, listening for footsteps and bracing myself for the next scare right along with Susan.

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