Grey House
Lyceum Theatre
June 2, 2023
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| Photo courtesy of Grey House |
You hear sound in the
darkness. Lights slowly come up on the
interior of an old, rundown home.
Someone is sleeping on the couch.
You notice a second person, then a third. They’re watching Road Runner cartoons on TV. Your eyes search for more as the lights
continue to illuminate the detail. Your
mind races with questions. You are
hooked. You are engaged. You are in Grey House. Director Joe Mantello
maintains this creepy atmosphere throughout the one hour and fifty minutes of the
play. Everything that occurs is
intriguing and eerily disturbing.
More sound in the darkness. A car crash? There is a pounding at the door. Max (played by understudy Claire Karpen) and her husband Henry (played by Paul Sparks) stumble in. They crashed their car on the snowy road and need help. The house appears empty, but is not. Raleigh (played by Laurie Metcalf) lives there with four daughters (played by Sophia Anne Caruso, Millicent Simmonds, Colby Kipnes, and Alyssa Emily Marvin) and one boy (played by Eamon Patrick O’Connell). Raleigh helps Henry with his broken ankle, as the girls ominously hover. The air is full of mystery and the refrigerator full of moonshine, but it’s The Ancient (played by Cyndi Coyne), who appears in the dead of night, who is most disconcerting.
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| The cast of Grey House Photo courtesy of Grey House |
Your mind races with questions throughout the story, only to be followed by more questions every time a new plot element is introduced. It’s not until the end that you start to connect the clues. Once that connection is made, it all falls into place for a very satisfying conclusion. Creepy, but satisfying.
It is no easy feat to create a horror story live on stage. Playwright Levi Holloway and this creative team have truly succeeded. The performances are outstanding. The cast creates a tension that never releases. The set design by Scott Pask, lighting design by Natasha Katz, and sound design by Tom Gibbins blend magnificently to create an effect that keeps you on the edge of your seat, wanting more.
Grey House is playing at the Lyceum Theatre.
Domenick Danza
