Misery comes to Meadville

Katie Wickert has a talent for bringing unsettling stories to the stage. With such productions as Sorry Wrong Number and Cabaret to her credit, she delights in seeing audiences squirm.

So, if you are a person who likes to jump in your seat, Wickert’s production of Misery is not to be missed. She is directing Ellie Wood, Mitchell King and Jeremiah Saxton in William Goldman’s brilliant adaptation of this Stephen King novel.

Misery follows successful romance novelist Paul Sheldon (played by King). Paul is rescued from a car crash by his “number one fan,” Annie Wilkes (played by Wood). He wakes up captive in her secluded home. While Paul is convalescing, Annie reads his latest book and becomes enraged when she discovers the author has killed off her favorite character, Misery Chastain. Annie forces Paul to write a new Misery novel, and he quickly realizes Annie has no intention of letting him go anywhere. The irate Annie has Paul writing as if his life depends on it, and it does.

Unnerving Tale that Mimics Reality

Misery is an interesting piece in Stephen King’s portfolio. It contains no supernatural element, nothing other-worldly that comes to invade our otherwise normal lives. It is strictly pure human evil. That makes it all the more terrifying. With the explosion of clime dramas, true crime podcasts and the like, unnerving tales that mimic reality are popular these days.

This show is technically, physically and emotionally challenging for the cast and crew. There is nowhere to hide on stage; no camera tricks or multiple takes, just live action. Misery is not only an unsettling story that takes obsession to its penultimate conclusion, it is a feat of stagecraft that we are proud to have at MCT.