THE GREY HOUSE -currently in previews on Broadway at the Lyceum Theatre (149 W 45th St, NY NY) is the first Broadway ghost play since VOICES (THE OTHERS) in 1972, if you discount the various versions of A CHRISTMAS CAROL.
Campbell Scott in the brilliant 2019 A CHRISTMAS CAROL
VOICES, despite superb direction by Gilbert Cates with star turns by Richard Kiley and Julie Harris, played for only one week. I was quite surprised as it was a superior thriller with a gut punch surprise ending. The Richard Lortz play spawned a film adaptation, the near forgotten VOICES (1973, starring David Hemmings & Gayle Hunnicutt).
THE GREY HOUSE , set in the 1970s (though it is never implicitly said)has echoes of VOICES ( couple has car accident and is forced to stay in a foreboding house) ,but also references, whether unconsciously or not, some Clive Barker and David Cronenberg , as well as the vengeful spirit from RINGU (1998). However, the play has enough original ideas to make it stand out on its own.
I will try and avoid going too much into detail, as the show is in previews, and it will work better if you arrive without having all the surprises given away. One thing I can say is that the play has a lot of intentionally funny moments and one liners that help ease the tension before the next shock .
The cast is top notch. Laurie Metcalf is completely riveting as Raleigh, the leader of the brood who resides in the house. She might have had a sense of déjà vu, as her last Broadway thriller was the stage adaptation of MISERY (2015-16), which also involved a snowstorm and a traveler with a broken leg.
Tatania Maslany as Max is the person who was driving the car when a deer jumped in front of them, causing their accident. Having missed her in the Broadway production of NETWORK (2018), I was incredibly pleased by her ease and naturalism on stage. Her character goes through a series of increasingly disturbing psychological events that make her question her reality. TV viewers may know her best from ORPHAN BLACK (2013-17) and SHE-HULK ATTORNEY AT LAW (2022).
Suffering more physical abuse as well as supernatural is Paul Sparks as Henry. His character is tormented throughout the show, but also gets dragged into flashbacks or memories which may have led to everything that happens in the show. A great physical presence, he won a Screen Actors Guild Award for his work on the HBO series BOARDWALK EMPIRE (2010-2014). He has been nominated several times for Drama Desk & Outer Critics Theatre Awards.
Speaking of physical, Cyndi Coyne is suitably creepy as The Ancient. This is her Broadway debut.
Sophie Anne Caruso (Marlow) is no stranger to the supernatural, having starred as the original Lydia in the original cast of BEETLEJUICE (2019). Here she is a disturbing presence, who seems to accuse and demand honesty, no matter how much it hurts others.
Millicent Simmonds (Bernie), making her Broadway debut, has experienced creepy events prior in her mega hit films A QUIET PLACE (2018) & A QUIET PLACE II (2019), after being lauded for her wonderful performance in Todd Haynes‘ WONDERSTRUCK (2017).
Colby Kipnes (Squirrel) is making her Broadway debut as a character who may be a bit mad, or more attuned to the events going on about her.
Alyssa Emily Marvin (A1656; yes, that is the name) is the 15-year-old who seems the most normal but also may hide some dark stories. Another person in the cast is making their Broadway debut, after years of Regional and Off-Broadway work.
Eamon Patrick O’Connell (merely identified as The Boy, but who might also answer to various other names), is the youngest member of the cast. He appears at times to be the most innocent. After five years of film work, this is his Broadway debut as well.
Scott Pask, the many times Tony nominated (and four-time winner) designed the stage. The home is an out-of-date structure out in the wilderness, wherein the kitchen with a curtained window adjoins the living room area, with stairs going up as well as doors leading to a side room, the front door through which we observe the snowstorm…. and … the basement.
The current Broadway cast of THE GREY HOUSE
Rudy Mance is making his Broadway debut with his costume designs. They seem to be from the 1970s, but the nightgowns worn by the children seem to suggest something from an earlier time. Mance has dealt with clothing involving the supernatural, having done costumes for tv’s AMERICAN HORROR STORY.
Seven-time Tony winner Natasha Katz (currently also represented on Broadway with SWEENEY TODD) creates the mood with lights that vary to the mood of the moment, and often with a bright light issuing from the basement. There are also several blackouts to show that a small bit of time has passed.
Music & Sound designer Tom Gibbons has worked in both the U.K. and the U.S. Here, he delivers the sounds of the storm, the car crash, as well as the various groans & creaks of the old building. He also has composed music that plays from a record play, and when the young women break out in song, I keep thinking we are now getting into WICKER MAN (1973) territory. The soundscape score also consists of frenetic energetic sounds as well as a haunting droning.
Playwright Levi Holloway makes his Broadway debut with this piece, after years in the Chicago Theatre, as well as co-founder of The NeverBird Project, a youth based deaf and hearing theatre company. This play ,THE GREY HOUSE ,was first staged to strong reviews in Chicago in 2019 .
Travis A.Knight ,Sadieh Rifai & Sarah Cartwright in the original Chicago production
Director Joe Mantello seems to be Tony nominated every season, having won for TAKE ME OUT (2003, which was designed by Scott Pask) and ASSASSINS (2004). He is a superb actor’s director, bringing out and featuring each of his performers, plus staging two superb jimp scares in the show.
Director Joe Mantello
The 120-year-old Lyceum Theatre supposedly has several ghosts, so one wonders if they approve of the ghostly goings on.
Opening May 30th for a limited run.
THE GREY HOUSE – Lyceum Theatre 145 W. 45th Street, NY NY
One hundred minutes no intermission Opens May 30th for a limited run.
Tickets at the Box Office or by Telecharge https://www.telecharge.com/Broadway/Grey-House/Ticket?AID=BWY001403200&utm_source=show_site&utm_campaign=Grey-HouseSS&utm_medium=web
–Kevin G Shinnick
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