MetroSpective

Misery at the Paragon

Stephen King's tale of terror and obsession finds new life at Denver theater

by Heather Wahle
hwahle@mscd.edu

photos courtesy of the Paragon Theater

Paragon Theatre's present production features an obsessive-compulsive fan, a down-and-out writer and a severed foot. Just in time for Halloween, their stage adaptation of "Misery" is designed to disturb and frighten.

Simon Moore adapted the play from the novel by Stephen King. The book became a best seller that was adapted to film in 1990. The film, directed by Rob Reiner, was a success with a talented cast including James Caan ("The Godfather") and Kathy Bates ("Titanic"), who won a Best Actress Oscar. Moore was the director of the original 1991 London stage version of "Misery." Moore has written a variety of television, film, and theatre scripts including the BBC television series "Traffik," which inspired the film "Traffic," directed by Stephen Soderbergh.

In writing the stage version, Moore wanted to maintain the main theme of the novel and the subsequent film. "Misery" is the story of a fan's obsession, one that overcomes reason and normal human behavior. Paragon Theatre's production of "Misery" is directed by ensemble member Warren Sherrill, a Paragon veteran who directed Paragon's previous installation "The Mercy Seat."

While the play and the movie are both based on the same novel, there are many notable differences between the productions. First of all, the play was written to be much more intimate than the film. Moore tried to take advantage of the physical space of the theatre itself to make the audience feel as if they were in the same room as the two principal characters. The theatrical version has more graphic acts of violence and a few inconsistencies in the plot's progression.

"Misery" follows the same basic plotline of the novel and the film. Romance novelist Paul Sheldon accepts a fiction award for his latest book in a series that features a main character named Misery Chastain before getting into a car accident during a Colorado snowstorm. Near death, with both legs broken, Sheldon is found trapped in his vehicle by a passerby named Annie Wilkes. By a seemingly miraculous coincidence, Wilkes is a former nurse and is Sheldon's "No. 1 fan." Later, after medical treatment and months of reclusion in Wilkes' rundown farmhouse, what started as a rescue slowly evolves into Sheldon's personal hell.

Wilkes begins to show signs of her instability while nursing her favorite author back to health. She becomes enthralled with her patient. Soon, she is maniacal and controlling. Emily Paton Davies convincingly portrays the disturbing Annie Wilkes. Davies received the 2004 Denver Post Ovation Award nomination for Best Year by Actor and was named top actress for 2004 by the Rocky Mountain News. In this performance, Davies consistently captures the audience's attention with her commanding presence and eerily realistic rendition of an obsessed fan.

In the drama, Wilkes' first demonstration of power over her favorite writer is to leave him for a day without medication after learning that he ended his last Misery Chastain novel with the heroine's death. Sheldon is in extreme pain while his legs heal in splints and he develops an addiction to the painkillers Wilkes gives him. After a day without medical attention and his pills, Sheldon realizes he is at his disturbed nurse's mercy. She demands he write another novel, "Misery's Return," and makes him produce a chapter each evening.

Paul Sheldon is played by Thomas Borrillo, best known for his portrayal of Don in "Rounding Third," which ran at the Arvada Center. Borrillo utilizes the comedic aspects of the script, successfully incorporating morbid humor even among the goriest scenes. The result allows the performance to be simultaneously haunting and humorous.

While his broken limbs mend, Sheldon regains enough strength to try to escape. Wilkes doesn't allow Sheldon much opportunity to fine-tune a getaway plan, as she only leaves the farmhouse for short periods of time. When she discovers that Sheldon isn't happy staying with her indefinitely, Wilkes takes drastic measures to ensure that her celebrity patient remains unable to leave.

Davies and Borillo keep the audience on edge throughout the performance by maintaining an intense chemistry on stage. The drama revolves around two central characters, but the production isn't limited by having a two-person cast. Instead, it enables the performers to fully develop their characters, to nail down their motives and display a careful study in their delivery. Borillo and Davies explore the parallels between a tortured writer and his manipulative, controlling fan.

The morbid tone and disturbing content of this drama make it a perfect piece of Halloween entertainment. Borillo and Davies' performances in "Misery" will have you jumping at shadows and looking for severed feet in your bag of candy.

"Misery" plays Thursday - Saturday Oct. 1-29 at the Paragon Theatre. The Paragon is located at 1121 Santa Fe Drive in downtown Denver. Theatre tickets are $13 for students and $15 for general admission. Every Thursday, tickets are two for one. For more information call (303) 300-2210.