There are some plays and musicals that just work. They are so carefully crafted and simple in structure that it becomes almost impossible for a company to really screw them up. Wait Until Dark is such a play. I have seen it many times over the years and I always leave having had a great time. The recent production by Payson Community Theatre is no exception. They do a terrific job for a community theatre staging of what may be the best thriller play ever written.

First performed on Broadway in 1966, Wait Until Dark,(play by Frederick Knott) is not only entertaining but it somehow manages to feel fresh in a world where horror and thrillers feel played out and unoriginal. It even has quite possibly the most iconic jump scare in the history of theatre (or the 1967 film adaptation.) One watches it and outside of the landline phone pretty much every other aspect could still happen today to a blind woman liked Susan.

At PCT Adam Cannon directs with a high attention to detail. I particularly enjoyed how the set up of the apartment (set designer Victoria Larsen) is used to add tension to each scene. It is staged as a basement apartment and the window (which favors into the plot) on the back wall allows us to get a peak of who is about to come to the door and knock. It’s like a little hint before the blind Susan can be ready.

Speaking of Susan, Ester Slaeker is excellent in the role. She makes sure she accounts for every piece of furniture and challenge a newly blinded person might experience. Craig Gardner also has just the right amount of camp as Harry Roat. Jane Champion is a likable rascal as Susan’s neighbor little girl Gloria.

Being an amateur production there are little foibles here and there but nothing that hampered my enjoyment. My main critique is I wish they had kept the total darkness just a hair longer so the light from the fridge has the huge impact it is meant to have. Also the performance is at Payson Junior High and the chairs there are of the folding medal variety which can be hard on ones back. I recommend bring a back pillow or seat cushion to help with this problem.

That said, if you like a good old fashioned thriller you’ll love Wait Until Dark at PCT. There are moments you’ll be tempted to grab the hand of the person next to you and squeeze it to relieve the tension. It’s a night of thrills and chills. To be sure!

Wait Until Dark runs through Nov 9th and tickets can be purchased here.

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