I can offer two compelling reasons to go see the Ross Valley Players’ production of the cat and mouse thriller, Wait Until Dark.
Adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher from the original script by Frederick Knott (running through Dec. 14 in The Barn Theatre at the Marin Art and Garden Center), the reasons are Tina Traboulsi and David Yen.
Wait Until Dark is probably best recalled for the 1967 film adaptation starring Audrey Hepburn as Susy, who finds herself facing off against a group of nasty criminals.
Director Carl Jordan has cast his two leads well, and rounds out the small ensemble with some other excellent work by Rob Garcia (who steals moments with merely a gum wrapper as slimeball Carlino) and David Abrams (who creates lovely chemistry with Traboulsi as the charming Mike).
Both the set by Tom O’Brien and the costumes by Valera Coble are full of beautiful accents, like the old refrigerator and sinkboard, and Susy’s muted clothing set against a red interior basement apartment replete with ominous street-facing windows.
Traboulsi gives a believable portrayal of Susy, who, although having recently become blind, can intuit the ever increasing peril she’s in with razor sharp clarity and who has the bravery and tenacity to meet it head-on. This is a subtle performance, and Traboulsi inhabits her impediment with a grounded, unshowy feel, while affecting the vocal tones of Hollywood’s Golden Age actresses. Susy is nobody’s fool, and one is rooting for her from the first scene.
Yen plays Harry Roat, a depraved criminal with a penchant for costumes, accents and theatrics. He looks formidable and imposing on the low-ceiling Barn stage, and clearly relishes the chance to play a predator. Taking his time with an exposition-heavy opening scene, he builds the terrible characteristics of Roat by savoring each moment.
The lighting design by Frank Sarubbi is key to the story, and feels like a built-in character towards the finale. And the execution of said design was precise and basically perfect.
The only qualms I had were that the pace was a tad languid for a thriller, and the sound design, by Billie Cox, was a bit of an afterthought—randomly inserted and not very necessary if the pace, and therefore motivations and stakes for our characters, would have been maximized.
Still, for some clever performances, Dark is worth one’s time.
‘Wait Until Dark’ runs through Dec. 14 at the Barn Theatre in the Marin Art and Garden Center, 30 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Ross. Thurs.–Sat., 7:30pm; Sun., 2pm. $30–$45. 415.456.9555. rossvalleyplayers.com.
