The Stagecrafters Theater, 8130 Germantown Ave., is staging the classic thriller, "Angel Street," by Marxist novelist and playwright Patrick Hamilton (seen here). The play, which was made into the …
This item is available in full to subscribers.
We have recently launched a new and improved website. To continue reading, you will need to either log into your subscriber account, or purchase a new subscription.
If you are a digital subscriber with an active subscription, then you already have an account here. Just reset your password if you've not yet logged in to your account on this new site.
If you are a current print subscriber, you can set up a free website account by clicking here.
Otherwise, click here to view your options for subscribing.
Please log in to continue |
The Stagecrafters Theater, 8130 Germantown Ave., is staging the classic thriller, "Angel Street," by Marxist novelist and playwright Patrick Hamilton (seen here). The play, which was made into the classic movie, "Gaslight," with Ingrid Bergman, runs through Oct. 1.[/caption] by Hugh Hunter
It is hard to find someone who is not familiar with the thriller "Angel Street" (aka "Gaslight") from the 1944 movie with Ingrid Bergman and Charles Boyer, and the work loses none of its luster in the revival now running at Stagecrafters. Directed by Loretta Lucy Miller, once again we watch Jack inflict his "double-bind" torture on wife Bella, alternating kindness and cruelty in the attempt to drive her insane.
Set in Victorian London, the script by Patrick Hamilton is a distinctive classic of the thriller genre. Even when Inspector Rough shows up late in Act One and clues you in on what Jack is really up to, "Angel Street" loses none of its menace. The Stagecrafters production holds your attention to the end.
In part, this owes to a set so expressive it takes on a life of its own. The living room is full of furniture, painting and objets d'art. Usually this kind of stage clutter is the kiss of death because it so inhibits an actor's movement. Not a problem here. This is Jack's house, and he is a domination maniac who does not want people to have any ease of movement.
Only one small chair in the corner gives Bella a place to huddle. The pictures and baubles that adorn the mantel piece and red walls are like the instruments in a torture chamber, and the dimming gaslights lend a final Gothic touch. Your sense of horror cannot escape this room (Set Design, Scott Killinger; Set Decor, Yaga Brady; Lighting, Gilbert Todd).
Within this atmosphere of terror, each member of Miller's strong cast brings out the hidden side of his/her character. It is satisfying to watch Jack (Thomas-Robert Irvin) cave in to fear once his masterful grip of the situation is challenged. As Bella, Susan Blair retains an edge of hysteria in the final scene, even as Bella effects her own cathartic cure — quite different from Bergman's total self-possession in the movie version.
Inspector Rough (Mort Paterson) is a crusader for justice who may have hidden romantic needs. With Paterson's odd smile, you never know if Rough is amused by others or himself. The two servants are a microcosm of Hamilton's focus on good and evil. Elizabeth (Jane Toczek) rises to the occasion with admirable courage; Nancy (Melissa Montgomery) sinks to new depths of wanton cruelty.
While "Angel Street" is fun to watch at the thriller level, it also fits in with 20th century criticism of the Victorian era as a time when ugly things hid behind an outward moral probity. Or to put it differently, Hamilton may be suggesting that Victorians were not moralistic enough, as you would be hard put to find another play where the good angels so thoroughly vanquish the bad ones.
Stagecrafters is located at 8130 Germantown Ave. "Angel Street" will run through Oct 1. Reservations available at 215- 247-9913.
