Macon Little Theatre's 'I'll Be Back Before Midnight' draws audience into a thrilling suspense story
Macon Little Theatre's latest production, "I'll Be Back Before Midnight," will ensure that audiences leave their lights on overnight once they get home.
This is playwright Peter Colley's version of a ghost story and it alternates between witty dialogue and heart-thumping, scream-inducing scares as it tells the tale of a woman named Jan, who is recovering from a nervous disorder, her husband and her sister-in-law.
Jan and her husband rent a remote cabin from an odd farmer, who delights in telling gruesome ghost stories, and the tale rapidly goes downhill from there. Jan is forced to deal with the terror of bodies appearing and disappearing, giving this classic thriller tremendously frightening impact.
Director Weldon Ledbetter said she hasn't had many opportunities to direct this kind of suspense thriller before.
"The challenges of making theater funny and frightening ... it's like I'm using a combination of many skills and ideas that I've been learning over the years, but never had the opportunity to utilize within the context of a single show," she said. "I think it's a great challenge for me as a director. It's also a challenging play for the actors. The timing and pacing of the performance is especially critical in comedy and in suspense/horror. We are all having a chance to really work on our crafts."
Giving the show a PG-13 rating, Ledbetter cautions parents against bringing young children.
"I don't want to deter anyone from seeing this show, but humans can be violent, ugly, funny, crazy, kind, cruel and damaged. This play really exposes the audience to all of these things. There is also some exploration of some difficult 'adult' themes dealing with love, marriage, family, sexuality and mental illness."
Ledbetter said the play's set is crucial to the performance, and really makes the audience feel like they are part of the story.
"Patrick Hamilton has done an amazing job at making a really beautiful setting that also accommodates all of the technical necessities and challenges of this show, which are massive. I can't wait for the audience to see it at work. It is truly a work of functional art," she said. "I don't want to lessen its impact, but let's just say it has a way of pulling the audience right into the room with us as we tell this story. They are almost as immersed in the action as the performers.
"I think some of the best 'scares' in this show are especially effective because the audience, like the characters, won't know what is coming or from where. It really deprives them of the security that goes along with being on the other side of the proscenium and in the dark. I love it."
When asked about her favorite part of the show, Ledbetter answered cautiously.
"I can't say without giving too much away," she said. "But maybe that is my favorite thing about this show -- the tension between comedy and horror is really well executed. It's like a wild ride on an out-of-control train that, when you arrive at your destination, you realize was somehow, magically, on the track the whole time."
"I'll Be Back Before Midnight"
When: 8 p.m. Oct. 16-17 and 21-24; 2:30 p.m. Oct. 18 and 25
Where: Macon Little Theatre, 4220 Forsyth Road
Cost: $20 adults, $15 seniors (60+), $10 students (ages 5-23)
Information: 478-477-3342; www.maconlittletheatre.org
This story was originally published October 15, 2015 at 7:29 PM with the headline "Macon Little Theatre's 'I'll Be Back Before Midnight' draws audience into a thrilling suspense story ."