Review: MISERY at Fulton Theatre

Fulton Theater delivers both the tricks and treats with their production of Stephen King’s Misery. Jeffrey Coon stars as the incapacitated writer, Paul Sheldon, who finds himself trapped in a Colorado farmhouse after a severe car crash. Coming to his rescue(?) is his “number one fan”, Nurse Annie Wilkes played by Fulton favorite, Charis Leos.

Coon is very believable in how his body contorts to reflect his severe injuries.  Perhaps, the best compliment was the audience’s loud, collective gasp after getting walloped in the leg with a ream of typing paper.  I also appreciated his growing sense of desperation and frustration as the tension mounts as he begins to realize his true predicament.

Leos is amazing in what she brings to the role. Leos runs the full gamut of emotional responses, each one appropriate for the circumstances and totally authentic.  She was alternately charming, funny, incoherent, weird, vicious, and cruel.  In fact, she was much scarier when she was kind, since the audience learns never let down their guard.

Bruce Winant plays the underappreciated role of Buster, the local sheriff.  Winant brings an unassuming modesty in the role, which makes it all the more interesting when he discovers what is really going on.

The action in the show is intense and the pacing is solid.  The stage violence looks authentic, especially the infamous sledgehammer scene.  This is hard to pull off in such an intimate space, but the Fulton cast and crew do so admirably.

The unsung star of this show is sound designer, Tyler Horn.  Horn creates amazing atmosphere through a wide variety of spooky and intense music cues and special effects.  Along with the moody lighting and the creepy, curtained bedroom set, the Fulton produced a version of Misery that is just as, if not more so, scarier than the movie.  Stephen King would be proud.

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