A Masterclass in suspense
A Review by Reese Mann (with Marianne Dell'Aquila)
DCP Theatre’s production of Wait Until Dark, Jeffrey Hatcher’s adaptation of Frederick Knott’s 1966 original, delivered an unsettling exploration of trust, vulnerability, and control. The adaptation proved precise in its characterization, allowing the complexities of its characters and their shifting relationships to emerge with clarity.
I’ll leave the story itself for you to discover. Wait Until Dark deserves to be a personal encounter, allowing your own impressions, suspicions, and surprises to unfold without the guidance of a summary. Audiences should be aware that the production includes smoking, mature language, violence, and a complete blackout of the theatre for approximately five minutes at the end of Act II. It is best suited for mature audiences.
Arriving on opening night, the audience immediately felt the atmosphere the production had so carefully established. Eerie lighting and unsettling music created a sense of unease before the performance began, preparing the audience to enter a world where comfort and certainty would be difficult to maintain.
R. Cameron Purdy's set, placed at floor level, made the experience particularly immersive by drawing the audience into the action of Susan’s New York basement apartment. The period details grounded the story in its setting, while the staging offered a perspective different from a conventional theatre arrangement. This felt like an intelligent choice for a thriller, as the unfamiliarity of the space quickly became a source of discomfort, echoing the uncertainty that runs throughout the show.
Special recognition goes to Mike Addice for his thoughtful lighting and sound design. Both elements sustained suspense without overwhelming the action, particularly during the production’s most intense moments. Shifts in color and intensity reflected the changing tensions onstage, giving the design a dramatic purpose beyond simply establishing atmosphere.
That initial unease gave way to deeper questioning as the performance unfolded. At its heart, the production explored the risks that come with trust and the ways people exploit it to gain control. Its impact stemmed from drawing the audience into those same dynamics, encouraging us to believe we understood a character or situation before giving us reason to reconsider. That manipulation extended beyond Susan’s apartment and into the audience, making our confidence in what we were seeing part of the suspense.
Bill Algeo commanded the stage as Roat, opening the show with a natural confidence that immediately drew the audience in. His blend of comedy and intimidation made the performance especially compelling, allowing moments of humor to carry an underlying threat. This balance established Roat’s manipulative nature early, as Algeo skillfully played to the audience’s reactions as much as his character played with those around him. His chilling performance was a highlight of this production; creating a character equally captivating and terrifying.
Chris Keyser immediately established Carlino’s presence, bringing a commanding voice and imposing authority to the role. That outward confidence contrasted effectively with his vulnerability to Roat’s control, revealing a man far less in command than he appeared. Keyser captured this tension skillfully, showing how someone capable of intimidating others could still be intimidated himself.
Pockets Seachrist brought depth and sensitivity to Susan, a character navigating both the challenges of her disability and the expectations imposed on her by the men around her. Seachrist immersed themself in the role, giving the audience insight into Susan’s frustration as her husband’s insistence that she manage without help turned independence into a source of pressure. Their portrayal balanced strength and anxiety, demonstrating how determination and vulnerability can coexist. Through this tension, the production invited the audience to consider how assumptions about Susan’s blindness overlapped with judgments about her capabilities as a woman.
David Williams brought an initial warmth to Sam, Susan’s husband, that made the controlling undertones in his behavior all the more unsettling as they emerged. Beneath his encouragement of Susan’s independence, one could sense a troubling contradiction: his insistence that she manage on her own while reinforcing the idea that she would always need him. Williams’s portrayal invited the audience to question behavior that Susan herself may have come to accept as care. This tension established an uneasy foundation for the events that followed, making even the apparent safety of Susan’s marriage feel uncertain.
Peyton Craig revealed a Gloria far more complex than her tough exterior initially suggested. Her performance conveyed how Gloria’s defiance toward Susan stemmed from an unstable home life and a need for attention, giving emotional weight to behavior that might otherwise seem simply rebellious. Craig charted Gloria’s development as she found her own way to help Susan, allowing her concern to emerge without sacrificing the guardedness that made the character believable. She captured both Gloria’s sharp intelligence, forged by an upbringing that demanded maturity too early, and the uncertainty of a child afraid to reveal how deeply things affect her.
Nick Cardillo was as a standout as Mike, whose approachable presence made him easy to trust. Cardillo forged a connection with the audience that mirrored the reassurance he offered Susan. His performance kept viewers invested while quietly challenging how readily we accept apparent sincerity. As the story unfolded, Cardillo skillfully navigated Mike’s evolution, allowing subtle shifts in demeanor and motivation to emerge naturally. The transition never felt abrupt; instead, it deepened the audience’s understanding of the character while reinforcing the production’s larger questions about trust and perception.
The intelligence of this production extended beyond the performances to the work of the stellar production team, particularly director Geoff Yaroschak. Directing Wait Until Dark demands an understanding of the psychological world each character inhabits, and Yaroschak’s thoughtful approach was evident in both what the audience could see and what remained hidden. Every reveal and omission felt intentional, serving the production’s deeper exploration of perception and trust. He understood how to bring the audience in and keep them there, sustaining uncertainty even when everything seemed to be in plain sight.
Audiences will leave DCP Theatre thinking about how easily confidence can be mistaken for honesty, and vulnerability for weakness. The strength of this production lies in its ability to guide the audience experience through the characters' misjudgments making every relevation feel personal and immediate. Susan’s story challenges the assumptions placed upon her, asking the audience to reconsider who the see as capable and trustworthy. Beyond its suspense, Wait Until Dark encourages audiences to look more carefully at those around them and question how readily someone else’s certainty can shape their own.
Don't miss it. Get your tickets now for the four remaining performances of DCP Theatre’s Wait Until Dark (Friday, October 30th at 7.30pm; Saturday, October 31st at 2pm and 7.30pm and the closing show on Sunday, November 1st at 2pm).
Special thanks to the show sponsor MT Bank (https://www.mtb.com/).
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