O.C. STAGE REVIEW : ‘Wait Until Dark’ Pays Off

Over the years, “Wait Until Dark” has been one of the most reliable vehicles for small theaters. Community playhouses, especially, have turned to Frederick Knott’s thriller whenever they needed a story with plenty of nerve.

Knott’s compact, twisting-turning play usually pays off. The classic confrontation between a young blind woman and three thugs puts our sympathies in the right place from the start, and then there’s the author’s ability to give out just enough information along the winding way to keep us intrigued but still wondering.

Director Jim Ryan displays a great deal of respect for “Wait Until Dark” in his briskly paced production at the Costa Mesa Civic Playhouse. He errs a little when the climactic last scene hyperventilates into “The Maniac That Wouldn’t Die!” but overall, the show is handled with skill.

Besides keeping it lively, Ryan is able to present Knott’s bits of exposition sharply enough so the audience has a clear idea what kind of deadly plans the bad guys have for blind Susy Hendrix (Millicent Collinsworth). We also know at just what moments she begins to understand the reach of her troubles and starts to map out a desperate strategy.

Ryan is fortunate to have Collinsworth in the lead role. We should have a notion of Susy’s inner voice telling her what to do, and Collinsworth, through facial expressions and other small gestures, clues us in.

Collinsworth, a blind actress, comes across naturally, presenting a Susy who is spunky, resourceful but also very vulnerable and frightened in the face of the escalating danger. She overdoes the hand-wringing a few times, but the portrayal is still a winner.

On opening night last week, some of the other actors stumbled a bit, but it didn’t really mar the performance. The cast was generally confident, especially Bill Littleton as the crook with a soft spot for Susy and Bruce Crawley as the crook with no soft spots for anyone.

In a brief appearance, Gary Krantz seemed comfortable as Susy’s photographer husband, and young Rebekah Baker was super as Gloria, Susy’s precocious young upstairs neighbor who helps her face the crisis.

The production also scored on the technical side. Eugene McDonald’s set of the Hendrix home was professional, and his lighting was instrumental in creating the right environment--the final scene, which veers from complete darkness to varying degrees of illumination, was handled especially well.

‘WAIT UNTIL DARK’

A Costa Mesa Civic Playhouse production of Frederick Knott’s thriller. Directed by Jim Ryan. With Millicent Collinsworth, Bill Littleton, David Van Patten, Bruce Crawley, Gary Krantz, Rebekah Baker, Brinda Andrews and Gary Halbert. Set and lighting by Eugene McDonald. Sound by Jim Bell. Costumes by Loretta Lupo. Plays Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. through June 25 at 661 Hamilton St., Costa Mesa. Tickets: $6.50 (Thursdays and Sundays), $7.50 (Fridays and Saturdays). Information: (714) 650-5269.