Susan (Alisha Perry), a young college student, and Larry (Chaz Close), a lawyer she has just met, are dining at a fashionable restaurant. A seemingly nice older couple invites them to their home. Thus ends the back story as the older Irish couple enters Veronica's Room.
Playwright Ira Levin's thriller is meant to keep you at the edge of your seat as he unfolds his tale of terror. The large bedroom/sitting room is the couple's daughter's room. While the action takes place in 1973, there are strong references to a date almost 40 years prior. I will not reveal anymore of the plot but will say don't believe everything you see as the old duo slowly remove the sheets covering every piece of furniture.
It is easy to see why director Jay Mower would select Veronica's Room; it uses every trick to keep the audience tense. Perry is phenomenal as the life of Susan takes some very unpredictable turns. This is her play, though the other characters strongly influence her. Her reactions will send chills through you. Watching Close's second act persona will make you think twice about nice young men and free dinners.
However, it is the older couple that sends nail scratches on your mind's chalkboard. The man, JJ Rowley is just plain nasty and brutal when his brogue leaves him, and his true character becomes obvious. You never, never want to meet this man if you are alone.
However, for pure evil we must turn to that sweet Irish lady played by Lee Donnelly. She could be anybody's favorite aunt, the nice lady next door, and much more; well, until she enters daughter Veronica's room. Ms Donnelly is a short woman, but onstage she grows to the point of towering over everybody. Her character's evil dominates Susan as well as the audience. Even the husband dares not go up against her.
Mower cast well. These four people smoothly deceive the audience right up to the final curtain. They have convinced us at every turn and twist that they are who they claim and present a level of evil seldom seen on stage.
Veronica's Room is not an easy play to watch. You get caught up in it, and it transports you to a reality they you can't see on a television screen. These four people are mere feet away from you. Their experience becomes your experience. You may not like that experience, but you should have the opportunity to live through it, even vicariously on the stage before you.
Judy Conlon's set is move-in ready as dressed and propped by Chaike Levine and the cast. Chad Oakley's lighting enhances the tone of many of the moments ranging from very dim and haunting to bright, but never cheerful. David Farlow's sound design sets the mood. Arlene Darden's range of costumes accent the change of characterizations happening to some of the actors. Shari Lyon's hair and make-up helps, too, especially for Donnelly.
Veronica's Room is not for the faint of heart. The best way to view it is just let it transport you into that special terror-filled place peopled by three very evil people. But are they really evil? Or even who we think they are? Just go to that special dark room you dread and find out.
