Theater To Go’s production of “Gaslight” premiered at Mercer’s Kelsey Theatre from late January through early February. The play was directed by Ruth Markoe and is a stage adaptation of the 1944 film by the same name that starred Ingrid Bergman, Charles Boyer, and Joseph Cotten.
The story, set in Victorian London, is about a man who tries to convince his wife that she is insane in order to gain control of her estate and to recover valuables connected to a murder that he committed in their home ten years earlier.
Although the play deviates from the original 1944 film, the stage-adapted version captured the premise and intensity of the movie. “Gaslight” is an entertaining psychological thriller that unfolds with intense suspense.
Opening night on Jan. 30 was a wonderful experience even though the weather outside was frightful.
Despite the Victorian dialogue common to stories of this era, the play was gripping and held the audience’s attention. One downside was that the plot was occasionally difficult to follow as the play didn’t include some of the introductory elements and backstory that were in the film version.
“Gaslight” begins with Jack Manningham (played by Mark Violi) asking his wife, Bella (played by Kimberly Correll), to go to a play. As they prepare to leave, Jack discovers a painting missing and accuses Bella of moving it.
Bella denies it, but from that moment on, things keep disappearing. The gaslights on stage begin dimming and brightening on their own, and Bella keeps hearing footsteps in the closed-off attic. Jack tells Bella that she is going crazy and probably needs to be sent to an insane asylum.
Kitty Getlick, the lighting designer for the show, praised how the director Ruth Markoe held the gripping narrative together.
One of the most important parts of “Gaslight” is the light and sound working hand-in-hand to make the show visually and auditorily appealing.
Eric Collins, a former Mercer student, has been working as the sound engineer at Kelsey Theatre for more than ten years, ever since he graduated.
Collins explained that he studied the film carefully and applied what he learned in his Entertainment Technology class to transition into live sound work.
He shared that one of his biggest challenges was working on scenes where music played in the background, because he had to carefully decide what mood he wanted the music to create.
He said, “[I have to] kind of go out there and find songs that kind of match that vibe that I was going for. There’s obviously a lot of communication with the lighting department because it’s ‘Gaslight.’”
Markoe said, “Our set designer [and] his crew were phenomenal.” She also expressed how important it was to bring these stories back to light years later, for generations new and old.
The set design for Gaslight effectively captured Victorian-era decor, from the detailed pictures on the walls, including one that was mysteriously missing, to the cleverly hidden Theater To Go mascot placed in plain sight.
Markoe pointed out a few of the Easter eggs. “There’s a picture of a dog on the stage. And that dog is Theater to Go’s [the production company]’s mascot. His name is Rex. I found him…somebody was disposing of it… and I brought it home, and ever since then, he’s been in every one of our shows,” she said.
She said, “The biggest challenge was that we lost a couple of three or four days of rehearsal because of the snow.”
The audience members cheered and laughed, and were on the edge of their seats. Many found the show shocking, as some of them didn’t even know what the show was going to be about going in.
Madeline Makarowitz, a Mercer student from the audience supporting her friend who played the housemaid Nancy, said, “I didn’t even know it was a movie before. So we heard, oh, it’s a story about the origins of gaslighting, and that’s all I knew going in.”
Makarowitz said further, “I thought it was amazing. It was really well done. I loved the lighting and the way it played into the story.”
Juan Diego Chico, another Mercer student, said, “I also enjoyed it too. I thought that a lot of the emotions were really raw and really good, especially the tension between the couple. I thought that their dynamic was really fun.”
Overall, “Gaslight” was a delightful show and a gripping classic psychological thriller. The cast and crew delivered strong performances, powerful tension , and impressive technical work. Theater to Go successfully honored the original story while making it engaging for today’s audience.
