|
From Carrie, Cujo and The Shining to It, The Stand and Rose Red (to name a very few), horror-master Stephen King's novels and short stories have been widely adapted on both the big and small screens. And at one time or another, who in the audience watching one of these filmed retellings hasn't felt just a bit grateful for the sense of distance from scary events that's offered by a movie projector, VCR or TV broadcast?
But starting on Feb. 21, South Bay audiences will be treated to a version of one of King's most claustrophobic and suspenseful stories that offers no such safe sensations--and getting up to buy popcorn or hitting the fast-forward button isn't an option. The San Jose Stage Company is presenting a theatrical adaptation of King's novel Misery.
The insightful thriller explores the intrusive nature of fame but also raises the question of who's really dependent on whom in the relationship between writer and reader.
Paul Sheldon, author of the vastly popular "Misery" romance series, is seriously injured when he accidentally crashes his car in the remote Colorado mountains. However, luck appears to be on Paul's side when he is rescued from the crash by Annie Wilkes, a mountain resident who is not only a nurse who can help him recover, but also an avid reader of the "Misery" series. In fact, she proclaims herself to be Paul's "No. 1 Fan."
The only problem is that Annie is the kind of fan who really takes that word back to its origins: fanatic. Annie quickly transforms from admiring caretaker to vicious captor, demanding that the bedridden Paul write another "Misery" novel just for her. When Paul's work displeases her, Annie proves to be a literally heavy-handed editor, to say the least.
Misery was adapted for the stage by Simon Moore, who has written the films Under Suspicion (which he also directed) and The Quick and the Dead, as well as a number of television miniseries, including The 10th Kingdom and Dinotopia, and the acclaimed BBC miniseries Traffik, later made into an Oscar-winning movie directed by Steven Soderbergh.
He also has written several plays, including the a cappella musical Up on the Roof. Moore directed the London premiere of Misery, which starred Sharon Gless (Cagney & Lacey) as Annie Wilkes.
Bay Area actor/director Kit Wilder helms the San Jose Stage Company production of Misery, which stars Patrick Lawlor and Kathleen Stefano.
The San Jose Stage Company presents "Misery" Feb. 21March 14 (previews Feb. 1820) at The Stage, 490 S. First St., San Jose. Tickets are $20$42. For more information, call 408.283.7142.
|
