Review: PARANORMAL ACTIVITY at Shakespeare Theatre Company

Ghosts are not infrequent in Shakespeare’s work, from the spirits of Hamlet’s father to Banquo in Macbeth.  Is that enough of a connection to bring the theatrical creation Paranormal Activity to the Shakespeare Theatre Company as part of a brief national run that takes it from Chicago to London’s West End?

The play’s transatlantic trajectory is similar to that of the young couple depicted in the adaptation of Oren Peli’s 2007 found footage horror B-movie that led to a whole franchise. The couple in it has just moved from the Windy City to a handsome two-story home in London and are still settling in; he’s working, but she’s home all day dealing with a low-grade depression. And then there are all those strange noises. And the lights go out.

The story of the movie may be the more interesting one to tell. Made in the wake of the super-cheapo fake found footage Blair Witch Project, it’s meant to jolt audiences on a very low budget. In fact it was shot on regular home video cameras on a budget of just $15,000 and went on to make more than $194 million worldwide, spawning a half dozen sequels, with a seventh on the way. 

And of course it begat this play as well, adapted by Levi Holloway (Grey House). It’s a new story, following the original film’s parameters: of a couple rattled by a spooky place. As directed by Felix Barrett (Sleep No More), it has the familiar tropes and cliches of horror. The lights suddenly go off! They suddenly go on! Any calm is pierced by a way too loud doorbell. Or an ear-piercing alarm.

If it’s like an amusement park attraction, well so be it. It may be devised to bring in a younger audience that doesn’t want their chills coming from wordy 17th century bards. And it’s built around the kind of theatrical illusions that have helped make Harry Potter and the Cursed Child the current Broadway moneymaker over Hamilton.

In fact it’s Chris Fisher, who worked on the Potter stage spectacle and won a special Tony Award for the illusions and technical effects of Stranger Things: The First Shadow who devised the visual flourishes that caused an opening night full of influencers to gasp in glee. 

Not that there’s a lot of those moments. Indeed, the best of them happens way too early in the first act and is never quite equalled. Instead, as in the film, there is waiting, there is dread and there is tension to build up. So when they go up and down the stairs, they do so very, very slowly. 

Any impact of the production is due the deliciously detailed two-story set of Fly Davis, which even has a working bathroom (a Shakespeare Theatre Company first?). The lighting of London-based Anna Watson is crucial. She creates the right tones for the moonlight when things go black and the spookiness of the occasional bypassing headlight outside the window. 

Of course the first logic of a haunted house is to get out of the haunted house. But nobody ever does, perhaps because the set is so grand. 

Also, they’re going on the philosophy, “places aren’t haunted; people are,” which leads to a lot of second act delving into past dark secrets that feels like last-minute explanations for climactic retributions to come.

Chicago-based leads Cher Alvarez and Travis A. Knight are fine in their roles and may even have some chemistry. But their dialogue is awfully thin and empty (especially on this stage). 

Shannon Cochran has fun as a Bible-thumping mother calling from Florida (though her resolution in the play is a little unclear). Kate Fry is fully prepared to be the British ghost hunter who comes to help, but she gets out of there as soon as she can. 

We never hear who is behind the mysterious shadows that sometimes menacingly appear (they could always be stage crew jumping their cue). 

If meant as a way to lure young people to the theater, Paranormal Activity may have a purpose. Perhaps all they’re after is a theme park-like jolt. Those seeking something deeper in their theatrical outings may want to wait this out. 

Running time: About two hours with one 15-minute intermission.

Photo credit: Cher Alvarez and Travis A. Knight in “Paranormal Activity.” Photo by Teresa Castracane Photography. 

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