Published: Friday, February 29, 2008 - 2:00 am By Ann Hicks
ARTS WRITER
ahicks@greenvillenews.com


Related clicks:
Play will have its audience in the dark (02/24/08)

Having previously seen David Sims' hand at directing a thriller -- "Frozen" at the Warehouse Theatre -- I expected another tightly wound take from him.
This time it was Frederick Knott's squirmy murder mystery "Wait Until Dark," which opened at Centre Stage -- South Carolina on Thursday night.
I wasn't disappointed.
Sims and his actors were at the top of their game Thursday night, building the chilling thriller with big-boned sounds, piteous whispers, bloodcurdling screams and moment to moment action.
Just the way we want this stuff, good and scary.
Those who have seen the 1967 movie with Audrey Hepburn and Alan Arkin know what I'm talking about. And for those unfamiliar with the plot, it centers on a young, blind housewife, Susy Hendrix, who is terrorized by a crazed killer and his bumbling companions who invade her apartment.
The guys are looking for a doll filled with uncut heroin. It seems Susy's husband unknowingly agreed to transport it from Canada to the United States to be given to a sick child.
The bad guys enter the couple's apartment -- Sam is out -- to search for the doll. Once Susy realizes that she's in mortal danger, she levels the playing field by enlisting the help of her 11-year-old upstairs neighbor, Gloria, to smash all the light bulbs, plunging the apartment into complete darkness. In that world, she gains the upper hand.
Amanda Cumbo, making her debut at Centre Stage as Susy, fits her character as snugly as a knife in its sheath. She's the ideal Meisnerian protagonist, living truthfully under imaginary circumstances.
We know she's blind by the way her slender fingers flutter from object to object, by the tentative steps she takes toward her destination, and when in panic, the way she lurches and staggers further into the darkness where she dwells. Cumbo makes you forget you're watching an actor -- she's just that good.
Chris White as her foil and tormentor, Harry Roat Jr., is a well-bred devil with a vast repertory of nasty tricks. White's raw intensity keeps the suspense high throughout the play.
Cumbo and White could probably carry the performance even if the rest of the cast were no more than adequate.
But in fact, the supporting players, J. Michael Craig as Mike Talman, Rhydwin Davies as Carlino, Bryan Gallagher as Sam Hendrix and the gifted Alexis Krcelik as 11-year-old Gloria, are uniformly impressive.
What else is impressive is Guy Perticone's excellent lighting of this play -- a crucial element.
This very well-done play continues through March 15. For tickets, call 233-6733.