Local company loves ‘Misery’ | Seasonal stage show debuts Friday

Some fans prefer their “Misery” on the page, in the (in)famous prose of Stephen King. For others, it’s the celluloid treatment that hammers it home.
Jackson Foltyn’s not about serving up derivative material, though. Instead, the local entertainer and entrepreneur’s angling to create an all-new generation of fright-fans when “Misery” opens on the stage of Jackson’s Cozy Theatre Friday night.
Absolutely, he says, the psychological horror story still takes center stage, but the adaptation he’s directing is a fresh take built around three local leads: Beth Lytle as Annie, Paul Foster portraying Paul and Brian Pearson stepping into Buster’s role.
“If people are expecting to see ‘Misery’ in the text form or the film form, it’s going to be very, very different.”
Writer Paul Sheldon will still find himself trapped in the home of sadistic super-fan, Annie Wilkes. Their dreadful back-and-forth will still drive the psychological thriller.
Foltyn’s task is to breathe fresh fear into the tale.
“If it’s predictable, we lose that intensity,” he said last week. As director and viewer, “I want the audience to say, ‘I want to see this again because it freaked me out so much the first time.’”
William Goldman’s theatrical imagining adapts Rob Reiner’s 1990 film based on King’s 1987 novel. It reduces the film’s cast to just three roles – writer, fan, sheriff.
“I like the play better because of the fact it takes out a lot of the exposition. The problem is, everybody loves the movie, and we all know what happens,” Foltyn said. He chose a film noir, avant-garde feel, evoking the ‘30s or ‘40s in lighting, costumes, makeup. “I’ve taken this show into a different realm. Rather than playing it for what the context is, what the information is, I wanted to take it into a different ambience, a different atmosphere.
“I’m going to take this totally into left field so it’s intense, it’s jarring. It should leave you on the edge of your seat.”
On the Cozy Theatre’s stage at 108 E. Commerce Ave., the dynamic between Paul and Annie is distinct.
“There’s a constant sexual tension between both of them,” he said. “There’s flirtation. Paul uses that flirtation because he knows that’s his strong suit.”
Comfortable in the spotlight, Foltyn opted for the director’s role for this one. Foster was his first choice to play Paul Sheldon, and the local independent filmmaker remained the key contender after auditions.
“Because it’s a smaller cast, I could pick the cast I wanted. We still had auditions. It was kind of cool to have talented people come out and surprise me,” Foltyn said.
He asked his trio not to watch the film, to not pigeonhole themselves into past performances.
“You’ve gotta surprise yourself, because you want to be in uncharted territory, some rare air. If you haven’t made yourself uncomfortable, you’re not there yet.”
As the play’s music goes, Foltyn says he’s relying on pieces by 20th century composers like György Ligeti, George Crumb and Arnold Schoenberg to create dissonance.
“That really moves the production value on the route I want it to,” he said. “As a dancer, I’ve always liked the idea of dissonance with music and also to give it that macabre. It’s not going to be what people expect.”
The whole show is based on tension, he added. It’s essential that Lytle inhabit Annie’s psychosis, and Foltyn’s been pleased to see her and Foster moving beyond the script and claiming the characters for their own.
“It has to not only be connected but it has to be refined so the consistency of the emotions is there every night,” with six performances on tap Sept. 13-15 and 20-22. Shows are scheduled for 7 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. on Sundays.
After almost four months in production, “I’d like to applaud them for just going through this journey,” Foltyn said. “I’d like to give a shoutout to these actors who have given their best and brought their skillset – I think it’s a mastercraft of showmanship and acting.”
The cast, of course, is supported behind-the-scenes by additional talents on the lighting board, in props, sound design, costumes, set construction and more.
“We’re one big, happy family doing some crazy, crazy stuff.”
Learn more at JacksonsTheatre.com and reach the box office at 469-910-2969.