A Wrenching “Turn of the Screw”
Katherine Chaney Long and Robbie Thomas
IN A FEROCIOUS PERFORMANCE where he portrays three different characters—sometimes within seconds of each other—Robbie Thomas proves himself one of Charleston’s most versatile actors. So fascinating are his transfigurations in this Village Playhouse production that you forget you are watching a psychological thriller dubbed a ghost story.
“The Turn of The Screw” is Jeffrey Hatcher’s two-actor adaptation of Henry James’s 1898 novel by the same name, here directed by Village Playhouse founder, Keely Enright. On stage with Robbie is Keely’s actor-daughter, Katherine Chaney Long, who is currently a sophomore at Marymount Manhattan in New York City, but who plays well beyond her years with poise and conviction.
Dark and demonic as the story is, it is not so much scary as it is a look at the obsession—if not derangement—that swirls around the specters of childhood corruption and molestation. Much remains unresolved across Henry James’s landscape of brooding implications, sexual riddles, and biblical allusions, yet this demanding, two-actor script traverses a lot of psychological ground.
Where James’s original story confronts the reality-versus-illusion of ghostly apparitions, Hatcher’s script adds a double layer by asking the audience to indulge in a reality-versus-illusion of characters who are there yet not there—specifically the man, woman, and boy portrayed by Robbie Thomas, who throughout the play wears a formal suit vest and tie.
Henry James was interested in the nature of consciousness and the inner workings of psychology, perhaps partly because he himself allegedly suffered from a form of undiagnosed sexual neurosis. That may explain the sometimes confused, self-confessed content of this story. But more importantly for this script—and more modern—is the profusion of opportunities it gives the male actor. Still, where many actors might relish this much latitude, few are up to the task of navigating it convincingly, especially without the support of makeup, costumes, or props.
Pure, powerful, persuasive acting: that is what this play calls for, and that’s what you see in this production—in a captivating demonstration of the actor’s craft.
And not just from Robbie. His counterpart, Katherine Chaney Long, provides just the right ballast to his mix of intimidating, naïve, explosive characters. As a newly hired governess thrown into a shadowy situation, Katherine takes her character through a challenging spectrum of emotions and a well defined arc of change (into darker depths). Her acting pedigree and training, along with her innate unflappability, speak for themselves.
The good chemistry and personal tenacity of this pair more than answer the call of Jeffrey Hatcher’s unique adaptation.
“The Turn of the Screw” is playing through January 28 at The Village Playhouse in Mount Pleasant.
