‘Gaslight’ – Based on the play by Patrick Hamilton. Adapted for the stage by Steven Dietz. Directed by Courtney Sale; Scenic Design by Samantha Reno; Lighting Design by Laura Glover; Costume Design by Rainy Edwards; Sound Design by Robert Carlton Stimmel. Produced by Merrimack Repertory Theater in partnership with the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company at the Nancy L. Donahue Theatre at Liberty Hall, 50 E. Merrimack St., Lowell, through November 5.
By Mike Hoban
There could hardly be a more fitting time for a play entitled Gaslight, given that we are now living in a world that asks us to bend reality to suit our own cultural and political beliefs rather than to believe what we see and hear with our own eyes and ears. This engaging production is also a reminder of the courage it takes to fight back against the forces of evil, whether it’s on a personal or global scale, and that fight is vital to our very survival.
‘Gaslighting’ is a term that refers to psychological manipulation – often in intimate relationships – that is intended to make the victim question their sanity. (It was also designated as Meriam Webster’s 2022 ‘Word of the Year,’ which defined it as “the act or practice of grossly misleading someone, especially for one’s own advantage,” which more accurately reflects our current political discourse.
In this streamlined version of Gaslight, adapted by Steven Dietz from the 1938 play by Patrick Hamilton and the 1940 movie of the same name, Bella (Kristin Yancy) is the victim, and her husband, Jack (Tom Coiner), is the perpetrator. Unbeknownst to Bella, Jack has been slowly persuading her that she is sliding into madness, as her mother allegedly had a generation before. Bella is constantly “losing” things (a broach he had given her, a grocery list), and a painting in the drawing room has gone missing, which Jack accuses her of removing from the wall. He also inflicts another form of abuse on his bewildered wife, openly complimenting the young servant woman, Nancy (Candice Handy), while simultaneously degrading Bella in her presence. “In recent years, Bella’s lost her radiance,” he tells Nancy as Bella cringes.
Jack’s gaslighting is more than just a man chipping away at his wife’s self-esteem to control her, there’s also a secondary motive. This is 1880 Victorian England, where a husband could have his wife committed to an insane asylum for the crime of speaking her mind – without so much as a hearing or her consent. Bella has inherited a good deal of wealth from her family, and Jack stands to take control of the home and bank account while Bella languishes in Bedlam. Following an argument, Jack storms off, and Bella receives an unexpected visitor, Sergeant Rough (a wildly entertaining Jim Hopkins), who informs her that her husband may not be operating in her best interests. To say more would be to reveal too much, but the plot kicks into high gear from there.
Gaslight is a psychological thriller, but there are frequent moments of levity in this production, especially in the scenes where Sergeant Rough makes an appearance. Hopkins plays him as part (British) Columbo, part Sherlock Holmes’ bumbling sidekick Watson, and he lights up every scene he’s in. But the levity crosses into farce at times, which may not work for some. In one scene, the older servant (played by Boston favorite Karen MacDonald) comically attempts to hide Sergeant Rough in the hallway closet when Jack unexpectedly returns home during Rough’s investigation, and it looks as if the scene were pulled straight out of a sitcom. One wonders why playwright Steven Dietz would detract from the dramatic tension that was so deftly built by Sale throughout the play, but maybe it’s just me.
Personal taste aside, this is a solid, well-acted production. Coiner gives a strong performance as Jack, the demeaning and scheming husband, and as Bella, Yancy has an almost haunted quality about her as she struggles to maintain her sanity. Handy is convincingly manipulative as Nancy, and MacDonald projects genuine warmth as the motherly servant Elizabeth. The wonderfully elegant Victorian drawing room set by Samantha Reno is picture-perfect, and Rainy Edwards’s costumes artfully complete the period feel.
Gaslight is a compelling entertainment and well worth the drive to the lovely Nancy L. Donahue Theatre in Lowell for Boston theatergoers. For tickets and information, go to: https://mrt.org/
