43
Victorian Players get in spectral spirit with haunting ‘Turn of the Screw’
By GUY D’ASTOLFO
YOUNGSTOWN
A ghost story is the Halloween tradition most likely to send a chill down the spine because ghosts do lurk just beyond our senses.
The Victorian Players Theater gets in the spectral spirit of the season with its production of “The Turn of the Screw,” the haunting Victorian-era ghost tale that flirts with another fear held by people in those days: seduction.
Director C. Richard Haldi’s minimalist approach enlists the imagination to seductively possess the viewer.
The year is 1872. A young woman is hired as a governess to care for a man’s niece and nephew at a country estate after the death of their parents.
But the children are very troubled, she soon discovers, by an evil spirit who refuses to relinquish his influence.
As the governess, the weight of the show is on the sturdy shoulders of Chloe Housteau. She is the tablet on which every scene is written, playing a caring and brave woman who comes to realize what everyone in the house already knows.
Auggie Heschmeyer plays Miles, the teen boy who is one of the siblings. He effectively brings out the odd and self-conscious behavior that is typical of one who had been preyed upon as a child.
Tim Welsh plays the uncle who hires the governess. Welsh is excellent in his brief time on stage. He lends the proper charm and sternness to the character, a commanding combination that raises questions about his true nature.
Rounding out the cast are Trudy Mason as Mrs. Grose, the housekeeper with a conspiratorial nature; Miles Assion as Peter Quint; Millie Heschmeyer as Flora, the young girl; and Megan Brockway as Jessel.
“The Turn of the Screw,” written by Henry James and adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher, is an old play, and some of the details of daily life do not reach us today. But the Victorian’s production captures its chills and elucidates the points to ponder.
The evil from beyond the grave takes shape with moody lighting, sparse staging, and ghostly effects, and at just 80 minutes in length, it’s a compact experience.
“The Turn of the Screw” opened Friday and runs through Nov. 16. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. today, next Sunday and Nov. 16. The theater is at 702 Mahoning Ave., Youngstown. Call 330-746-5455 for reservations.