Courtesy of Michelle Anliker pictures
Stephen King’s notorious 1987 novel was at all times greater than only a horror story: it was a brutal character research of two individuals locked in a battle of wills. On one facet, Paul Sheldon, a reclusive creator wrestling with ache, drugs, and an unmissable deadline. On the opposite, Annie Wilkes, the lonely, unhinged nurse who would grow to be the poster little one for poisonous fandom. Rob Reiner’s terrifying 1990 movie adaptation, starring James Caan and Kathy Bates in her Oscar-winning flip, captured the novel’s claustrophobia and psychological stress with unnerving precision. So it’s no surprise William Goldman tailored his personal screenplay for the stage, stripping it down right into a two-hander that thrives on intimacy and menace. Minimal units, relentless stress, and a narrative already seared into popular culture make “Distress” a super candidate for theatrical revival.
At The Dio, director Steve DeBruyne and designer Matthew Tomich embrace the play’s small scale and wring each ounce of environment out of it. Their staging is stark however efficient: a wide-open ground plan drenched in shadows, sharp lighting cues, and sudden blackouts that jolt the viewers into Sheldon’s nightmare. The story stays the identical: after a devastating automobile accident in a blizzard, bestselling novelist Paul Sheldon (Dan Morrison) awakens within the care, and captivity, of Annie Wilkes (Sarah Stevens). Annie isn’t simply his nurse. She’s his “primary fan,” a girl who religiously buys his “Distress” novels on the native basic retailer, hangs on his each phrase, and now, with Paul damaged and bedridden, lastly has him all to herself.
Annie Wilkes is a novel monster in contrast to some other within the horror canon: terrifying not as a result of she’s supernatural, however as a result of she’s terrifyingly actual. She is lonely, needy, and starved for consideration, her obsession with Paul’s books are a lifeline to a world the place she feels valued. However beneath her healthful small-town exterior lurks a sadistic streak, able to turning from chipper to chilling in a breath. It’s a task that comes with baggage — Kathy Bates made it iconic — but Stevens by no means wilts underneath the load. She doesn’t mimic Bates however builds her personal Annie: heat and disarming one second, chilly and cruel the following. The precision in her escalation, from nurturing caregiver to knife’s-edge psychopath, makes her efficiency riveting. When Stevens goes full throttle, it’s not cartoonish, however managed, deliberate terror, the type that makes you maintain your breath.
Morrison, confined to the mattress for a lot of the present, is equally spectacular. Paul’s survival hinges on wit, endurance, and sheer resilience, and Morrison finds the steadiness between desperation and defiance. His pained howls through the notorious sledgehammer scene are cringe inducing, however his quieter moments — tapping into Paul’s cussed dedication to outwit Annie — are simply as compelling. Their push-and-pull dynamic retains the stress excessive. Jordan Hayes-Devloo rounds issues out properly as Buster, the well-meaning sheriff whose temporary appearances present sparkles of aid earlier than the dread units again in.
Goldman’s script, operating 2 hours and three minutes with no intermission, can sometimes really feel padded, and a few sequences pressure underneath repetition. Sure subplots from the novel and movie — notably Paul’s meticulous escape planning — don’t translate as strongly on stage, leaving gaps that assume the viewers is aware of the story already. And whereas the underscore nods to the movie, its heavy use typically reminds you of how successfully Reiner’s film wielded music to construct suspense. Nonetheless, The Dio levels the large moments with aptitude, together with the infamous sledgehammer payoff, staged with sufficient grit and shock worth to make audiences squirm.
However as with most Dio productions, the actual energy lies within the intimacy. Stevens and Morrison shoulder the majority of the
work, and each rise to the event. Their chemistry is tense, electrical, and unsettling, which is strictly what this chamber piece calls for. Costume design by Norma Polk and struggle/intimacy route from Jen Pan and Joe Wright add polish and authenticity, whereas Tomich’s technical designs hold the viewers immersed in Paul’s purgatory. And in true Dio style, the dinner beforehand, full with Annie’s “notorious” meatloaf and a decadent crimson velvet brownie dessert, makes the night really feel immersive in a playful, barely depraved means.
In the end, “Distress” at The Dio isn’t about soar scares or gore. It’s about psychological warfare, about how obsession can curdle into cruelty, and about two actors locked in a battle that leaves the viewers equally enthralled and unnerved. Stevens, specifically, delivers a efficiency that doesn’t simply echo Annie Wilkes. It reclaims her.
The Dio’s manufacturing of MISERY continues by way of October twenty sixth. All reservations embody dinner and a non-alcoholic beverage. To make reservations, please go to right here.