THEATRE REVIEW: Misery, Royal Court, Liverpool

Jun 18 2008 by Vicky Anderson, Liverpool Daily Post

Joan Kempson as Annie Wilkes and Andrew Schofield as Paul Sheldon in Misery at the Royal Court. Picture: Dave Evans _320

THE stage version of Misery is the first serious turn for the Royal Court, an ambitious two-person play based on the Stephen King book about novelist Paul Sheldon, who awakens from a car crash seriously injured and being cared for by his “number one fan”, who is not all she appears to be.

Joan Kempson, more familiar to audiences for her roles in the likes of Early Doors and Coronation Street (she played doomed cleaner Edna Miller in the soap a few years ago), gives her all in the role of Annie Wilkes, changing from childishly naive to bone-chillingly unhinged in a flash. By the end, the very sight of her is enough to send shivers down the spine.

Confined to bed in the first half of the play, Andrew Schofield is forced to convey much using very little, yet captures Sheldon’s realisation of just how much trouble he’s in beautifully.

At just over an hour, the first half is just a shade too long; but, after the interval, the real horror begins and the pace picks up and doesn’t stop.

The climactic torture scene stays faithful to the book rather than the film, and theatre-goers were literally jumping in their seats; some were gasping for breath after some of the shocks Annie had in store.

The theatre is making use of its revolving stage for the first time in recent years, keeping the action moving as the different rooms of the house were accessed simply and effectively.

Use of darkness and shadow and a cinematic soundtrack from composer Tayo Akinbode make for a genuinely chilling atmosphere, and the final scene will stick in the minds of those who see it for a long time.

It took five minutes after leaving the theatre for the goosebumps to subside; and several mini-heart attacks walking home in the dark. Job done.