Wait Until Dark

The best thrillers manage to keep us on the edge of our seats, and Attleboro Community Theatre's "Wait Until Dark" does a lot of that. The 1966 Broadway hit that was adapted into a classic film starring Audrey Hepburn two years later.

On a stormy night, Susy Hendrix (Ricci Mann) is manipulated and terrorized in her ramshackle New York City apartment by a couple of hoodlums, Mike (Jay DiLisio) and Carlino (Jim Cannizzaro).

The two men are searching for a heroin-stuffed doll that was given to Susy's hapless husband Sam (Mark Gallagher) at an airport. Mike pretends to be a friend of Sam's and gradually wins Susy's trust. Carlino claims to be a police officer looking for the missing doll. Susy, who is blind, does not know where the doll is and wants to be left alone.

Another man pays a visit to Susy's apartment: Harry Roat, a criminal mastermind who is ready to commit murder if necessary.

Director Paul Nolette, who also served as set designer, maximizes the dramatic tension. The play's climax is well-staged, with light flashing through the windows of the darkened apartment along with a life and death struggle between two determined opponents.

Mann ("Proof") is a sympathetic and likable presence as Susy, who is terrified but manages to find the strength to outsmart these evil men. It's a terrific performance which balances vulnerability and raw intelligence.

Paul Tourville ("Inherit the Wind") is memorable as the creepy Roat, a borderline psychopath who wields a knife. Roat is a thoroughly despicable creature. When Susy turns the tables on him after enduring his endless threats, it's cathartic.

I also enjoyed Verity Preston as the precocious neighbor Gloria, who helps Susy fight these strange men lurking outside the door. Preston earns some laughs as she reveals Gloria's incredulity at the bizarre situation unfolding in the apartment.

DiLisio and Carlino are solid as Roat's hired thugs who only care about getting paid.

Playwright Frederick Knott's characters are sharply drawn, even if their actions don't always make sense. For example, why would Sam accept a doll from a complete stranger? Wouldn't it have been easier for him to just purchase one from the airport gift shop?

Mike and Carlino prove to be pretty inept henchmen. Roat could've found the doll without their help. And maybe Roat could have waited a few hours for Sam to come home so he could ask him what happened to the doll?

Despite these absurdities, "Wait Until Dark" works. Nolette has a sharp sense of pacing and lets his actors bring vitality and charm to these characters. They have fun with this crazy story and I had tremendous fun watching them.

"Wait Until Dark" runs through October 13. Attleboro Community Theatre. Ezekiel Bates Masonic Lodge. 71 North Main St., Attleboro. For tickets, visit their website: attleborocommunitytheatre.com or call 508-226-8100.