Dan Aucoin

The astonishments start early, with a how-the-hell-did-they-do-that costume change into black academic cloaks near the top of Act One. Before long we witness astounding transformations from one person to another within a very confined space, complete with the crunching of bones. Later on, spectral wraiths billow high above the stage at the Emerson Colonial Theatre, so chilling they make Marley’s Ghost look like Santa Claus.