The Turn of the Screw: Susan Derry and John Poncy – Photo: William T. Gallagher
A revival in need of some reviving, Creative Cauldron’s refresh of the company’s 2015 The Turn of the Screw: The Musical puts an abundance of talent onstage with only lackluster returns to show for the effort.
The ambience for Matt Conner and Stephen Gregory Smith’s adaptation of Henry James’ 1898 Gothic horror novella feels appropriately spooky, but the performance energy seems to be moving in many disparate directions. (Smith wrote the lyrics and libretto and Conner, who directs, composed the score.)
Akin to an attic full of secrets, with boxes and shelves hidden beneath white sheets, Margie Jervis’ ghostly-white set fills the stage of Creative Cauldron’s voluminous new black box. And Lynn Joslin’s expressive lighting does well to distinguish shades of darkness within the monotone milieu.
The acoustics in the space, at least as this show is configured, don’t always support the singing. And the singing could use the support since the songs don’t always distinguish themselves.
Susan Derry sounds in fine voice portraying Ms. Giddens, the wide-eyed new governess to two orphaned children at eerie Bly House, but her command of the score starts off shakily, as she wrestles with the tempo of opening number “High on a Hill.” The sole cast member reprising their role from the 2015 production, Derry might still be in the process of updating her portrayal to accord what she did then with what the show is now.
Presumably, it’s much the same show, though with a few key new hands, including music director Paige Rammelkamp leading a versatile three-piece band, and some fresh faces in the cast.
June Tuss makes an admirable professional debut as younger child Flora, who may or may not see dead people haunting the estate, and John Poncy intrigues as strange teen Miles, expelled from school for reasons disclosed only late in this ghostly tale.
There are, in fact, ghosts at Bly House, though their purpose is neither to haunt nor terrorize, and the production’s stray attempts at any such scariness land as half-hearted. Phantom pair Jessel, sung sweetly but flatly acted by Marcy Ledvinka, and Quint, played with a wink and a smile by Christian Montgomery, just want to hang out, preferably together.
Both harbor mysterious backstories that unfold through letters, songs, and narration that also intertwines Ms. Giddens’ awakening to the supernatural, the mystery surrounding Miles, the history of the estate as told by housekeeper Mrs. Grose (a solid Karen Kelleher), and the looming presence of Bly House’s owner, the children’s aloof Uncle (Bobby Smith).
Uncle gets the show’s one really memorable tune, declaring his disinterest in keeping informed of his niece and nephew’s activities with the jaunty refrain “I’d Rather Not Know.”
We would like to know what Uncle does want, or what any of these characters truly long for, but Smith and Conner have rendered James’ ambiguities as mere shadows of character and a plot staged somewhat listlessly.
Not transporting as a spirited musical or as a suspenseful ghost story, The Turn of the Screw takes us instead to a Twilight Zone of clashing performance styles and incoherent mysteries, ladled out in song, and painted in black and white.
The Turn of the Screw (★★☆☆☆) runs through Oct. 27 at Creative Cauldron, 410 S. Maple Avenue, in Falls Church, Va. Tickets are $25 to $50. Call 703-436-9948, or visit www.creativecauldron.org.
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