Tickets still available for May 20, 21, 22

Laura Young
ECB Publishing, Inc.

The Monticello Opera House production of Wait Until Dark delivers everything we'd expect from a satisfying thriller – from cons and captives to nervy villains and visceral emotions, from spooky lighting and jarring sound effects to intense suspense and smart escapes. The show opened, appropriately, on Friday the 13th and runs through May 20-22.
Be sure to get your tickets for the final weekend today!
The play Wait Until Dark by Frederick Knott is staged by local director Barbie Nettles downstairs in MOH's Perkins Performance Hall, which offers fewer seats but has the clear advantage of a more intimate audience experience that brings show-goers right into the action, including some scenes of total darkness.
In Wait Until Dark, the main character, Susy Hendrix, is a recently blinded woman who finds herself in a battle of wits with three thieves who have invaded her home in Greenwich Village. Can she somehow turn her world of darkness to her advantage? In classic thriller style, every single scene and element in the play propels the action forward, tests the characters and takes the audience on a roller coaster ride of suspense. As the climax builds, Susy discovers that her blindness just might be the key to her escape. She, her tormentors – and the audience – must “wait until dark” to experience the electrifying, breath-stopping final scene.
The cast members deftly handle the timing that is critical for building tension throughout the play, and they bring the necessary edginess and emotion to the intensity of the second act. Susy is convincingly played by Aiko Austin, a rising senior at Chiles High School who has appeared in several MOH productions. MOH veteran Caleb Goodman effectively brings an air of creepiness and menace as the key antagonist in the story, while Tim Nettles and Phillip Martinez are well cast to play the con men who complete the triple threat to Susy. Rounding out the cast are Abraham Islas as Susy's photographer husband, Adolai Faith Scott as a helper in the Hendrix household and Dale Austin as the policeman. Liane Giroux and Sandra Wilson take turns playing the mysterious Lisa while also serving as co-stage managers.
Kudos to the production team for bringing all the visual and audio elements together so well, including set design and construction by Barbie Nettles, Dale Austin, March Cramer and Time Nettles; lighting by Adrianna Mayoral; sound by Barbie Nettles; costuming and props by Barbie Nettles and Nancy Austin; and fight choreography by Erin Grubbs.
Friday and Saturday performances begin at 8 p.m., with the Lobby and Bar open at 7 p.m. The Sunday matinee begins at 2 p.m., with Lobby and Bar open at 1 p.m.
Tickets are $22 (discounts are available) and may be purchased online at MonticelloOperaHouse.org or by calling (850) 997-4242. Tickets will also be available for purchase at the door for all performances.
This is a general admission show (no reserved seats) and will be held in the downstairs Perkins Performance Hall.
For tickets, visit www.monticellooperahouse. org.