Guilty pleasures abound in William
Goldman’s highly entertaining, often wryly comic adaptation of Stephen King’s
psychological thriller Misery, opening
tonight at the Broadhurst Theater and starring Bruce Willis and Laurie Metcalf in the
tale of a popular romance novelist who is rescued, then imprisoned, by his
deranged “#1 fan” after a near fatal auto accident.
Let’s begin by acknowledging that this is a terrific yarn
that Mr. King concocted, one that borders on the modern mythic, not unlike
Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. So even if you are familiar with the 1987 novel or the later film version starring Kathy Bates and James Caan – and therefore already know how things will wind up in the end – you are sure to be caught up in the way things unfold. Knowing what is going to happen merely adds to the enjoyment. Misery finds its equivalent to
Hitchcock’s famous shower scene in one involving a sledgehammer, whose appearance
will set your heart a-thumpin’, as will various other weapons (including a
kitchen knife that brings to mind the one wielded by Anthony Perkins in Psycho) that pop up suddenly and
threateningly through the evening.
This incarnation of Misery
– the third stage adaptation of
the novel, including a musical version produced in Holland – features a quietly
sly and snarky Mr. Willis as the novelist Paul Sheldon, and the
incomparable Laurie Metcalf as the seemingly steady Annie Wilkes whose mental
stability completely unravels during the course of the 90-minute
intermissionless production that has been lovingly shaped by director Will
Frears.
At play’s opening, Paul lies in a bed in Annie’s house in
rural Colorado. He has been immobilized by multiple fractures of his legs and
right arm in the accident during a monster snowstorm. Annie found and rescued him, and now she is
ministering to him, a man she idolizes as the creator of a series of romantic
novels about a 19th century character called Misery Chastain.
These books have been a godsend to Annie, who has lived
alone for many years following a failed marriage and has found solace in
the series. But Paul has grown weary of his heroine. His latest book about her will be his last;
Misery dies at the end. When Annie finds out…
Well, hell hath no fury like a crazy lady denied her romance novels. Before you know it, she has purchased a used
typewriter and some paper, and she compels Paul, now her dependent prisoner, to bring
Misery back to life.
What makes this such a strong production is the interaction
between the two stars. You cannot take
your eyes off Ms. Metcalf. Her Annie is
scary and unpredictable in everything she does, teetering precariously between the timid tongue-tied
hero worshipper and the crazed and dangerous lunatic. You never know which side of her personality
will appear when the door to the bedroom opens.
Yet Bruce Willis’s Paul is not without recourse as he strives
to manipulate or incapacitate Annie and make his escape, nor is he as physically helpless as he would seem. They are quite a match, these two. As Annie puts it as she injects Paul with a strong sedative during one of their many struggles: "When are we going to develop a sense of trust?" Never, we hope.
The
pair makes for a splendid team of opposites, and they do seem to be having a
ball playing off one another. At one point during the performance I attended,
Ms. Metcalf’s hand slipped while using an important prop, missing its target. The two of them
broke character and started laughing – their delight only adding to the
audience’s delight. A third character,
the local sheriff played by Leon Addison Brown, makes an appearance from time
to time, and it is also fun to watch the inner workings of Annie’s mind as she
fends off his questions about the missing writer.
The production is well supported by David Korins’s terrific
revolving set, which reveals other parts of Annie’s house, and by the original musical
underscoring by Michael Friedman along with recorded piano performances by Annie’s
favorite entertainer, Liberace.
There may be no eternal revelations to be examined here, and some viewers may not like the way the comic absurdity is played up, but you most assuredly are in for a treat by spending the evening with these two crackerjack actors.
There may be no eternal revelations to be examined here, and some viewers may not like the way the comic absurdity is played up, but you most assuredly are in for a treat by spending the evening with these two crackerjack actors.
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