Community theater group Kentwood Players welcomes the Halloween season by presenting WAIT UNTIL DARK, a suspenseful thriller by Frederick Knott, adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher, through Saturday, Oct. 15 on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. at the Westchester Playhouse, 8301 Hindry Ave., Westchester.
The production is directed by Kathy Dershimer and produced by Jenny Boone by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc. Featured in the cast in alphabetical order are Samantha Barrios, Stanley Brown, Ty Budde, Harold Dershimer, Brian Roach, and Ixchel Valiente, each of whom thoroughly embody the play’s iconic characters.
First performed on Broadway in 1966, the film version of “Wait Until Dark” was released in 1967 with Audrey Hepburn in the lead role, with the play published the same year. Forty-seven years after its premiere on Broadway, Jeffrey Hatcher adapted Frederick Knott’s original play, giving it a new setting in 1944 Greenwich Village where Susan Hendrix, a blind yet capable woman, is imperiled by a trio of men in her own apartment. This newer version, which premiered at the Geffen Playhouse in 2013, is the one being presented by Kentwood Players.
Susan Hendrix is portrayed to perfection by Samantha Barrios, who will certainly convince you of her character’s blindness as she confidently moves about the stage as if she is absolutely living in total darkness and testing her limits to survive on her own. Barrios seeks the aid of her difficult young neighbor Gloria (Ixchel Valiente, the perfect excitable teenager), and Mike, her husband’s Marine buddy (tall and handsome Brian Roach), in order to fight for her life against the ruthless criminals led by a sociopath, Roat.
I guarantee Harold Dershimer’s facial expressions and menacing persona as Roat will have you jumping out of your seat several times during the show, especially during the final scene played in total darkness! As the tension builds, Susan discovers her blindness might be the key to her escape, but all must wait until dark to play out this classic thriller’s chilling conclusion.
Rounding out the cast are trench coat-clad Stanley Brown as Sgt. Carlino, a former cop and prison inmate who agrees to assist Roat in his scheme to retrieve a doll with its precious hidden treasure, and Ty Budde, as Susan’s good-natured photographer husband Sam. Each of the six-person cast is perfectly suited to their roles thanks to director Kathy Dershimer’s total attention to detail in all aspects of the production, even assisting Bruce Starrett with the set design to make sure it worked exactly as she envisioned it, especially how it sets up a situation that’s not normal, making it especially terrifying in such a confined space.
As a proud member of Kentwood Players, I can tell you with great confidence that “Wait Until Dark” will ignite your imagination and send it soaring to unbelievable heights. I encourage you to experience the suspenseful play with your entire family and friends, especially those who love a great mystery.
Reserved seat tickets are $20 with a $2 discount for seniors and students. To purchase tickets, call 310-645-5156 or online at www.kentwoodplayers.org, where you can also find more information about the show and upcoming auditions. The best value in town is a season subscription for six shows for just $80. You can also find Kentwood Players information on Facebook and Twitter.
To meet the “Wait Until Dark” production team and learn more about Kentwood Players and what goes on at the Westchester Playhouse, the public is invited to attend the group’s membership meetings, which are free and held on the third Wednesday of each month at 7:30 p.m. at the Westchester Playhouse, located two blocks west of the San Diego Freeway and two blocks north of Manchester at 8301 Hindry Ave. in Westchester. Come on down and see how you can get involved with this 67 year old and going-strong community theater group.