By Dale King
Delray Beach Playhouse draws deeply from the well of suspense for its opening production of the 2014-2015 season, Frederick Knott’s thriller, Wait Until Dark. The play that saves the best spine tingles for last will conclude its three-weekend run Sunday.
The drama kicks off the 68th season for the playhouse located on the shores of Lake Ida. Wait Until Dark opened in 1966 at the Ethel Barrymore Theater and earned a Tony nomination in the Best Actress category for its star, Lee Remick. A year later, it was committed to celluloid, with Audrey Hepburn in the film’s starring role. It would result in her sixth and final Oscar nomination.
The Delray Playhouse production makes full use of the stage that’s nicely set in mid-’60s style, the work of scenic designer Cindi Taylor and prop masters Deborah Veres and Annette Gray. A 10-person production crew does yeoman duty, particularly when special effects are needed. Randolph DelLago does his usual fine job as director.
Set in a basement apartment in Greenwich Village circa 1966, Wait Until Dark tells the story of Sam and Susy Hendrix, a young married couple who’ve been dealt a tough blow. She was struck blind from injuries in a car accident a year earlier, and Sam, who has set up his photo studio in their small flat, is trying to make a go of the business, but must travel by bus to assignments, presumably because of tight finances.
Sam has accidentally run afoul of the underworld by accepting a doll from a woman at the Montreal airport who asks him to bring it to New York as a gift for a sick child. The doll, it seems, holds a stash of heroin. So, the unwitting act of kindness has drawn Sam and Susy into the crosshairs of a web of thugs.
This play is heavy on run-up and complex details. Unlike another Frederick Knott chiller, Dial M For Murder, it doesn’t crackle with tension from the get-go, but lumbers along to a conclusion that does offer some edge-of-your-seat action.
Wait until Dark gathers together three ne’er-do-wells — two recently released prisoners and a strange man named “Roat” — to concoct a nasty scheme to retrieve the doll by turning up the heat on Susy, who, they believe, knows where the toy is and just doesn’t want to tell.
Little by little, Susy realizes that something foul is afoot — and that she’s the intended target. When she and Roat finally meet in the taut and dramatic climax, there are screams galore, grunts, twists, unseen turns and a nail-biting finale that’s worth the wait.
The eight cast members do a workmanlike job keeping the action moving — particularly in spots where Knott’s script bogs down.
Ironically, the most convincing performance comes from the youngest actress in the play, Charlotte Wilson, who portrays Gloria, the little girl who lives upstairs and helps Susy run errands. Wilson, who’s in the Drama Club at Banyan Creek Elementary School, plays Gloria with an impish charm and a hint of giggly malevolence.
With the tension running high, Susy enlists Gloria to help in her attempts to thwart the criminals when she realizes they are trying to take advantage of her sightlessness. When Susy asks her to do something dangerous, her delighted reaction is not only believable, but also introduces some much-needed humor in an otherwise dark drama.
Danielle Tabino seems perfect in the role of Susy. The actress is particularly adept at displaying fright and instilling it in the audience. She has a blood-curdling scream that’s just right for the finale. Her natural delivery is also pleasing.
Delray Playhouse regular Mark Hetelson plays against type as Harry Roat, the heavy-handed thug leader who brandishes a nasty attitude as well as a switchblade. Hetelson normally plays comic characters, particularly those who blow off steam when frustrated. Dressed in black, he bridges the gap from funny to fierce believably.
Darran Boyer is very natural as Mike Talman, the smooth con man who gains Susy’s trust and eventually seems sympathetic to her. His partner, Harry Richards, fluctuates between mild-mannered and glowering as Carlino, an ex-con who pretends to be a police sergeant.
Frank Stanzione is solidly stalwart in his brief appearances as Sam Hendrix, the photographer who was tricked into taking the doll and then tricked again into leaving his wife alone in their apartment.
Wait Until Dark can be seen tonight at 8, and at 8 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday, at the Delray Beach Playhouse, 950 NW 9th St., Delray Beach. For tickets ($30), call 561-272-1281, Ext. 4.