Quote of the Day: from the play Wait Until Dark, a thriller by Fredrick Knott, performed at the Alexandria Area Arts Association, directed by Sharon Thalmann, playing through March 16, 2014.

Susy Hendrix: Gloria?
Gloria:  Yeah?
Susy: How would you like to do something difficult and terribly dangerous?
Gloria: I’d love it!
 
Kip Sundlee as Harry Roat and Claudia Bursch as Susy Hendrix in "Wait Until Dark."

Kip Sundlee as Harry Roat and Claudia Bursch as Susy Hendrix in “Wait Until Dark.”

I used to live in the Alexandria area and did a little theatre while I was there. I played Belinda Blair in Noises Off with Kip as Freddy, one of the liveliest plays I’ve ever been in. Claudia and I were both in Steel Magnolias, another great experience and a really fun cast. So, I was thrilled to see two old friends on stage in AAAA’s current production of Wait Until Dark. Written in the 1960’s, this is a classic thriller. Susy, who was recently blinded in a car accident, finds herself trapped in her own apartment with criminals who are determined to get what they want at all costs. The suspense builds as Susy realizes she’s being played. Her life is at risk and she needs the help of the teenager upstairs. The two women use their wisdom and resources to outsmart the thugs and try to stay alive.

The fun thing about community theatre is that the actors, directors, and crew are your friends and neighbors. You get to watch them become someone else for a couple hours and offer you an entertaining evening. Claudia did her research for this part with a woman who is blind, and she was really convincing. The thugs probably think that Susy is an easier target because she can’t see, until she uses the darkness as her greatest asset.

If you’re in the Alexandra, MN area, go watch Wait Until Dark. If you’re in another community and wondering what plays your theatres might produce, I suggest this one. It has good pacing. Everything happens in one evening. The characters and interesting, and the plot intriguing.

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt:  Have you seen this movie or a stage production of “What Until Dark?” Are you an Audrey Hepburn fan? What are some of your favorite suspense movies or stories?