The Woman in Black at Parker Theatre 2026

Seeing The Woman in Black at Parker Theatre has become a really fun Halloween tradition and I was thrilled to be in the audience last night! It is so scary! Arthur Kipps (Michael Hohl) is still traumatized by an encounter many years ago with an apparition while settling the estate of Alice Drablow at Eel Marsh House on an isolated island that is only accessible by a causeway at low tide. He believes that he can stop the nightmares that plague him by recounting his experience publicly on stage so he hires an Actor (Ben Lowell) to help him. The Actor convinces him to act out the story instead of reading it from a manuscript so they begin rehearsing in a Victorian theatre using minimal props, realistic sound cues, and atmospheric lighting design. The Actor portrays a younger version of Kipps while he portrays all of the other characters and narrates the play. The action on stage depicts Kipps attending Drablow's funeral, traveling to her house in an old-fashioned pony and trap, working alone in the eerie house, and witnessing unsettling events while a strange figure dressed in black seems to follow him. They periodically stop the rehearsal to discuss their performances and, during one such break, Kipp promises a surprise. The Actor interprets this to mean that Kipp hired the actress who suddenly appeared on stage with them. The action concludes when young Kipps discovers the identity of the mysterious figure and when the Actor makes a startling realization about the actress portraying her. What makes this show so unsettling is the imaginative stagecraft used to tell the story, especially the brilliant use of light and shadow and the disconcerting sound design. I was particularly struck by the smoke effects used when Kipps is trapped in fog on the causeway, the light from a single torch when he gets lost in the pitch black darkness of the marsh, the shadows that appear on a scrim when he stumbles upon an overgrown cemetery, and the creaking of a rocking chair when he discovers a room that seems to be haunted. Light and shadow is also used very effectively whenever the woman in black appears because I was never really sure if she was there or not (I have now seen this production three times and I knew what was coming but I still jumped about a mile out of my seat when the woman in black appeared in the aisle next to me and so did a few other people). Finally, the acting is exceptional. Lowell really commits to the physicality of the role (he is often the only one on stage and he must react to things that are imaginary) and his terror is palpable. Hohl fully inhabits each of the characters he portrays with just the addition of an article of clothing or prop and it is impressive to watch. The Parker is the perfect venue for this play because it actually feels like it could be haunted and I loved everything about this production. If you are looking for something scary to do for Halloween I highly recommend getting a ticket for this spooky show (go here). It is a limited engagement through November 7.

Note: I happened to be sitting by Joanne Parker, the owner of the theatre, and she noticed my intense reaction to the appearance of the woman in black. We had a really fun conversation about this production, the theatre, and their past literary adaptations.

Wildwood

I was so excited to see Wildwood at a matinee yesterday and I was definitely not the only one because the theater was packed (even the front row).  I loved it and I highly encourage everyone to support this beautiful and heartfelt movie by seeing it on the big screen!  Prue McKeel (Peyton Elizabeth Lee) is a headstrong teenager living in Portland, Oregon with her free-spirited parents (Jake Johnson and Maya Erskine).  She mocks their fanciful tales of magic and defies their edict to keep her baby brother Mac (Arthur Knight) safe by taking him outside to play.  When Mac is abducted by a murder of crows, she and her nerdy classmate Curtis (Jacob Tremblay) are forced to pursue him into the Impassable Wilderness from her father's stories.  Once inside, they discover an enchanted forest and are soon pursued by an army of coyotes, led by Maxim (Tom Waits), who serve the exiled Dowager Governess Alexandra (Carey Mulligan). She was once a benevolent leader but her mind was poisoned by grief over the death of her son and she has now turned to dark magic to bring him back.  Alexandra needs Mac for her evil plan to work so Prue and Curtis enlist the help of a rat named Septima (Awkwafina) and a coyote discharged from the army named Dimitri (Charlie Day) to unite all of the different factions in the forest, including the North Wood farmers led by Iphigenia (Tantoo Cardinal), the Avian Principality led by Owl Rex (Richard E. Grant) and the General (Angela Bassett), and the Wildwood Bandits let by Brendan (Mahershala Ali) and Niamh (Amandla Stenberg), in order to stop her, save Mac, and overthrow the corrupt South Wood government led by Alexandra's nephew Lars Svik (Marc Evan Jackson) and his power hungry underling Roger Swindon (Jemaine Clement).  I really loved the themes of self-discovery (especially Curtis's character arc), finding belonging in a shared community, coming to terms with loss, overthrowing those who abuse power, and protecting the natural world.  The narrative may seem incredibly dense with a lot characters and affiliations to keep track of but each of them have an emotional moment of truth and I found it very compelling.  The entire voice cast is outstanding but the standouts for me were Mulligan, because she somehow makes a villain into an incredibly sympathetic character, and Lee, because her portrayal of a teenager trying to find her place in the world is very realistic.  The stop-motion animation is absolutely gorgeous and there were many scenes that took my breath away with all of the intricate details in the character design and the world-building (I especially loved all of the individual leaves).  I was also blown away by the dazzling action sequences, particularly a chase through the mansion, an epic battle involving medieval warfare (it is PG-13 for a reason), and a scene in which the ivy takes over the forest (this is truly spectacular).  I think this movie is a masterpiece and I highly recommend it!

Wait Until Dark at West Valley Arts

I think the play Wait Until Dark is the perfect show to stage in the round so I was very much looking forward to seeing it at the West Valley Performing Arts Center last night. Even though I have seen both the play and the movie starring Audrey Hepburn several times, I was still on the edge of my seat during this tension-filled production! Sam Hendrix (Armando Serrano Huerto) is given a strange doll by a woman on a train who is later murdered. He is unaware that it is filled with heroin and that Harry Roat (Joe Spear), a ruthless and psychotic criminal, will do anything to get it back so he brings it home to the Greenwich Village apartment he shares with his blind wife Susan (Collette Astle). Roat arranges for Sam to go out of town and stages an elaborate con in which his accomplices impersonate Mike Talman (Doug Kaufman), an old friend of Sam's, and Sgt. Carlino (Tyson Baker), a police officer, in order to to convince Susan to give them the doll. Susan eventually figures out that the three con men are not who they seem and, with the help of Gloria (Ruby Rose Kohler), her precocious young neighbor, she contrives to put out all of the lights and turns her blindness into an advantage during an epic showdown in the dark. I sometimes find the first act to be a bit tedious with a lot of convoluted exposition setting up the con but this production uses a flashback in the second act that is incredibly clever. At first I found it a bit confusing (especially the opening scene because the audience is dropped right in the middle of the action without knowing a lot of context) but, once I figured it out, I really liked this choice because it builds a lot more suspense. I also really liked the sound design for this particular production because the audience hears what is happening from Susan's perspective (this is especially true with footsteps, doors opening and closing, blinds opening and closing, and sounds outside on the street). The lighting design is also brilliant because it enhances the tension throughout the entire show, not just during the final sequence in the dark (which is riveting), by constantly manipulating what the audience can see and I have to admit that I practically jumped out of my seat during an especially fraught scene. The set design for the Hendrix apartment is very effective and the actors do a great job foreshadowing the areas that will become significant during the final sequence. Finally, Astle is very convincing as a blind woman (I was especially impressed when she crashed into pieces of furniture that had moved from their original spot) and Spear is incredibly menacing but my favorite performance was from Kohler because she is such a brat but you can see the vulnerability beneath her obnoxious behavior (this is a hard balance to strike, especially for such a young actor). I love it when I am surprised by a show I've seen several times before and I highly recommend this production (but act quickly because there are only two more performances). Go here for tickets.

Little Shop of Horrors at Draper Historic Theatre

Last night I went to see Little Shop of Horrors at Draper Historic Theatre and it was such a fun show to see this time of year (I will be seeing another production in a couple of weeks). Mild-mannered Seymour Krelborn (Spencer Nelson) works at a flower shop on Skid Row owned by the persnickety Mr. Mushnik (Robert Roake). It is on the verge of bankruptcy so, when he discovers an unusual plant during a total eclipse, he thinks that displaying it in the window will bring business to the shop. He names this new breed of plant after his coworker, and crush, Audrey (Sophie Manzanares) and business booms when customers flock to the shop to see Audrey II (Kason Seamans). Seymour inadvertently discovers that it thrives on blood when he cuts his finger on a thorn and he is dismayed when Audrey II asks him for more and more. As it grows to a giant size, he is forced to find other sources and Audrey's abusive boyfriend Orin Scrivello (Bryan Orr) and then Mr. Mushnik are the first victims. Seymour becomes a local celebrity and wins the love of Audrey but he soon feels guilty about what he has done to feed Audrey II and decides to get rid of it. However, he doesn't know that Audrey II has an evil plan for world domination! I really love the music in this show because it is a lively combination of rock and roll, doo-wop, and Motown and I especially enjoyed the songs "Little Shop of Horrors," "Skid Row (Downtown)," "Somewhere That's Green," and "Suddenly Seymour." A girl group comprised of Crystal (Kehaulani Ovalle-Freeman), Chiffon (Elena Quintero), and Ronette (Jenna Ostler) act as a chorus narrating the action and they sound great, both individually and when they harmonize together, and I laughed at all of their facial expressions as they react to the goings-on. Nelson is so much fun to watch because he is adorably awkward as Seymour and I especially enjoyed his physicality, especially in "Mushnik and Son" (I laughed out loud through the whole number but the highlight is his final pose), and his manic energy, particularly in his interactions with Audrey II. Roake is hilariously overwrought as Mushnik, Manzanares brings a lot of vulnerability to the role of Audrey, and Orr is completely over the top as Orin but my favorite performance was from Seamans as Audrey II (with Daniel Manivanh as puppeteer) because he has a smooth and seductive voice and "Feed Me (Git It)" is another highlight!  Speaking of Audrey II, the elaborate puppets are very impressive, especially the giant one that swallows its victims whole as well as the many smaller ones used in "Don't Feed the Plants." I was also very impressed by the set, featuring a street on Skid Row (I loved the fire escape) dominated by the exterior of the flower shop with large windows that pivot to reveal the interior (it is very clever), the period costumes and wigs, and the dramatic lighting (the glow in the dark effect on Audrey II is fantastic). I had a great time at this show and highly recommend getting a ticket (go here). It runs through October 24.

You Can See Everything

My nephew and I have been eagerly anticipating You Can See Everything ever since the trailer dropped after its surprise premiere at the Telluride Film Festival last month so we were both giddy with excitement when we attended a sold out early access screening at the Broadway last night (we are both weirdly fascinated by the Elizabeth Holmes scandal).  I had unreasonably high expectations and it did not disappoint!  In fact, it is one the best documentaries I have ever seen and watching it with a large and vocal crowd was one of the best theatrical experiences I have ever had!  Elizabeth Holmes, the disgraced former CEO of Theranos, invites Nathan Fielder to move in with her, her partner Billy Evans, and their two children to document her final 34 days before reporting to prison in May of 2023.  She gives him and his film crew unprecedented access in order to tell her side of the story after being vilified in articles, books, documentaries, and a limited series on Hulu starring Amanda Seyfried.  In her conversations with Fielder, she vehemently denies any wrongdoing (in a fascinating discussion about her word choice when describing the device she invented to test blood) and she details her plans for another medical testing startup with Evans.  The way Fielder interviews both Holmes and Evans is ingenious and I was most impressed by how the camera lingers on their faces during the silences.  After Holmes reports to prison, Fielder interrogates whether or not he has been manipulated in a twist that produced an audible gasp from my audience.  Without spoiling anything (you should go in as blind as possible), this twist is absolutely brilliant because there are so many layers and it recontextualizes everything that has gone before several different times (I still don't know who to believe because Holmes and Fielder match each other in intensity and it is mesmerizing to watch).  I was completely riveted (my nephew actually leaned forward in his seat multiple times because he was so locked in) and the three hour runtime flies by with scenes that I found equally moving (I hate to admit that I felt bad seeing her cry at the thought of leaving her small children), funny, intriguing, maddening, and horrifying.  Beyond all of that, the production value is outstanding, especially the lighting and the editing.  I will definitely be thinking about it for a long time and I highly recommend seeing it with a crowd!

Note:  This is practically a shoo-in for the Best Documentary Oscar and I predict that it will be nominated for Best Picture!