Review: WAIT UNTIL DARK at The Weekend Theater

The Weekend Theater, 1001 W 7th St, in Little Rock, has a wonderful way of surprising me every time I see a show there, and this was no different. WAIT UNTIL DARK, written by Frederick Knott and directed by Robin De Rossitte, is the perfect play to see during the spooky holiday season, and this weekend through Sunday, Oct. 29, is your last chance. It wasn’t necessarily scary, but the suspense held my attention from beginning to end, and there are a few jump scares, so be prepared! 

Susy Hendrix (Shaina Tippett) fairly recently became blind but is learning how to navigate her world with the guidance of her husband Sam (Drew Ellis). Sam goes out of town but has a neighbor girl Gloria (Reagan Conley) run errands for Susy. Prior to the present, Sam brought home a doll that a stranger gave him during one of his commutes. However, this doll is holding secrets, and when Sam leaves, con men come searching for the doll. Mr. Roat Sr (Bruno Muskaj) busts into the apartment looking for the doll. Then Mike Talman (Paul Bowling) says he is Sam’s friend and hangs around to protect Susy. Sgt. Carlino (Tyler Berg) comes in to investigate, and they all try to look for the doll throughout the play. When Susy starts learning the truth, she has Gloria help her make it completely dark, so it is hard for the con men to kill her. At the end, a real policeman (Tommy Heath) comes in with her husband.  

Obviously, I left out a lot of details, because I really feel you need to go see this show. It had me on the edge of my seat the whole entire time. The actors worked well together to keep the story going, and I couldn’t wait to see how it all played out.  

In my other life, I spend quite a bit of time with people with varying sight issues, and I can honestly say that Tippett really sold her character. If I hadn’t seen her in other performances, I wouldn’t have even thought that she wasn’t blind. She committed to the details, and I was impressed.  

The con men were fascinating to watch with their different personalities. I liked how Bowling made his character a bit more caring than the other two did. Muskaj’s Roat was demanding and a bit scary...in a good way of course. The physical fighting was believable, and he was convincing as a real bad guy. Berg’s Carlino was rougher than Bowling’s character but a bit more comical.  

Susy and Ellis’ Sam had a sweet relationship. Though it may have seemed a little mean to push Susy to be independent, you could tell in his voice and eyes that he was caring and meant well for her. The relationship between Susy and Conley’s Gloria was the opposite, at least at first. Conley did well as an angsty teenager taking her rage out on Susy. I loved how as the play progressed Gloria not only started being a little nicer, she was giddy with helping Susy bust out the lights.  

To finish out the year, The Weekend Theater will present EVERY CHRISTMAS STORY EVER TOLD by Michael Carleton, James FitzGerald and John K. Alvarez, and directed by Tricia Heinrichs Spione. The show begins December 1 and runs through the 16th. For tickets and information, visit their website at www.weekendtheater.org.  

Broadway World would like to give a big THANK YOU to Mark Mulkerin for the use of these wonderful pictures.  

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