THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE Approaches Opening at the Long Beach Playhouse

The Long Beach Playhouse opens its 2019 - 2020 season with The Haunting of Hill House. The play is adapted by F. Andrew Leslie from the novel written by Shirley Jackson in 1959. Dr. Montague invites his small team of volunteers to join his paranormal investigation of an unwelcoming mansion with a history of secrets and tragedies. As each guest is affected by the house's psychological manipulations, their minds, souls, and very lives become endangered.

"The Haunting of Hill House is one of the most terrifying supernatural thrillers of all time," said Madison Mooney, Playhouse Executive Director. "That makes it the perfect show to open the Mainstage Season. The story will persuade audiences that summer is over and Halloween beckons."

The play is the epitome of Halloween spookiness with a few surprises thrown in for good measure. It's set in a stately mansion that stands alone on a hill shrouded in an eerie fog. It has a grand staircase, locked rooms, and unexplained noises. Trapped in this cauldron of mystery are two women who are sensitive to unseen phenomenon and a group of people whose true motives are not easily discerned. But it's more than it appears and it's that element of surprise that keeps audiences on the edges of their seats.

"A play like The Haunting of Hill House requires the perfect mixture of set, sound and lighting design. The actors must deliver nuanced performances that draw the audience into the story but don't give too much away," said Sean Gray, Artistic Director for the Playhouse. "I chose Holland Renton to direct the show because she's got the skills that will deliver a show that does all that in a way that doesn't come across as trite, forced or unbelievable."

The seven-member cast is a mix of returning favorites and debut performances. Making their debuts are: Jade Yancosky, Paige Laney, and Marcia Bender. Returning actors are: Mitchell Nunn, David Edward Reyes, Lee Samuel Tanng and Phyllis M. Nofts.

The show opens September 21 and runs through October 19, 2019.

Tickets are available at www.lbplayhouse.org, or by calling 562-494-1014, option 1.

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