Published: 09.26.2008
Still scary 40 years later
Beowulf staging the thriller 'Wait Until Dark'
By Kathleen Allen
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
Dave Sewell was a gutsy kid.
He was just 12 when he saw the 1967 movie "Wait Until Dark."
He saw it alone.
Alone.
Now if anyone remembers that Audrey Hepburn thriller (and if you saw it, you remember it), you know how tense and terrifying the movie got. That didn't bother Sewell.
"I found it compelling," he said.
With the memory of the movie still with him, Sewell jumped at the chance earlier this year to direct Beowulf Alley Theatre's production of the Frederick Knott thriller, which opens tonight.
"I came across the script a few years ago," Sewell said in a phone interview. "When I looked at the play, I realized it was better written than many plays in that genre."
While the movie may be in the minds of many when they see the play, Sewell isn't worried .
"The play really stands on its own," he said. "There's always the danger people will compare it to the film, but it's been over 40 years since it came out. A lot of folks will come new to this."
The story centers around Susy, who has been blind about a year. Three creeps come into her apartment in hopes of retrieving a doll stuffed with heroin that Suzy's husband had innocently brought home from Canada as a favor to a woman. Suzy's not going to give up that doll.
These three guys are desperate, and they'll do anything they have to to get it. Even kill.
"There's a lot going on," said Sewell. "That's what's attractive about the play. I think people will be surprised by it, surprised by what's going on. I wouldn't say it's a towering work, but the depth it does have is surprising."
And it's a bit of a roller coaster, too, he added.
"There are some funny parts, and some that are scary and suspenseful," Sewell said.
"That tension and release can be very effective."
If you prefer being frightened with friends, have we got a treat for you:
Four tickets to the performance of your choice (depending on availability) of Beowulf Alley Theatre's season opener, "Wait Until Dark."
To be eligible to win the tickets, log on to azstarnet.com/contests, click on the "Wait Until Dark" icon, and tell us what other play Frederick Knott wrote. Think Alfred Hitchcock and Grace Kelly. And scary.
We'll throw all the correct answers into a pile and pick a winner.
The contest ends Monday morning at 9. We'll contact the winner by the end of that day.
Preview
• "Wait Until Dark"
• Presented by: Beowulf Alley Theatre.
• Playwright: Frederick Knott.
• Director: Dave Sewell.
• When: Preview is 7:30 p.m. today; opening is 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Regular performances are 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 1:30 p.m. Sundays through Oct. 12.
• Tickets: $10 preview; $20 regular performances; online discounts at www.beowulfalley.org.
• Information: 882-0555.
• Cast: Ben Dygert, Molly Howard, Gary McGaha, Steve McKee, Chuck Rankin, Mike Saxon, Dallas Thomas, B.J. Watkins.
• Running time: 21/2 hours, with one intermission.
● Contact reporter Kathleen Allen at kallen@ azstarnet.com or 573-4128.
