"Blackhollow" - by Weylin Symes - Greater Boston Stage Company (Stoneham, MA.) - REVIEW
(Cover Photo: Anna Slate in a moment from Weylin Symes' "BLACKHOLLOW" now playing at Greater Boston Stage Company in Stoneham, MA. through November 8, 2026. Photo Credit: Maggie Hall Photography)
By Kevin T. Baldwin
METRMAG Reviewer
# 774-242-6724
"Blood is the cause not only of life in general, but also of longer or shorter life, of sleep and waking, of genius, aptitude and strength. It is the first to live and the first to die.”
- William Harvey, Discoverer of Blood Circulation, 1628
Greater Boston Stage Company
Presents Weylin Symes'
"BLACKHOLLOW"
A Gothic Tale of Possession!
World Premiere!
A Don Fulton New Works Project!
Written by Weylin Symes
Producing Artistic Director Weylin Symes**
Co-Directors Weylin Symes** and Daniel Begin+
Starring Anna Slate
Additional Creative Team:
Scenic Design - Katy Monthei; Lighting Design - Corey Whittemore; Costume Design - Deirdre Gerrard; Sound Design - David Remedios^; Properties Design - Emily Allinson; Dialect Coach - Lee Nishri-Howitt; Dramaturg - Jonathan Santoro+; Director of Production - Meghan Ward; Production Stage Manager - Shauwna Dias Grillo*; Production Assistant - Kit Verweij; Scenic Builder - Misfit Toys Theatrical, LLC.
*Member of Actor’s Equity Association
^Member of IATSE/USA
+ Young Company Alum
**Member of SDC
Performances:
October 23, 2026 through November 8, 2026
(Contact Box Office for Exact Times)
GREATER BOSTON STAGE COMPANY, 395 Main Street Stoneham, MA. 02180
TICKETS:
Box Office Hours: Mondays – Fridays, noon to 6pm Box Office # 781-279-2200 boxoffice@greaterbostonstage.org
BUY TICKETS
COVID 19 PROTOCOLS
Contact Venue for Most Updated COVID-19 Safety Protocols and Information.
(Warning: The following review contains spoilers)
Just in time for Halloween, Greater Boston Stage Company (GBSC) infuses some delightful horror with the ghoulishly impressive "BLACKHOLLOW."
Written by Weylin Symes as part of GBSC’s Don Fulton New Works Project, Symes co-directs the one-actor show with Daniel Begin.
According to the GBSC press release, the idea for "BLACKHOLLOW" began as an adaptation of the tale of “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.”
As Symes’ play began to develop, that premise later took on a new life, a new heroine, and ultimately evolved into an original, intense 90-minute drama where one woman, actress Anna Slate, portrays multiple characters to tell the entire story.
And it is fine, occasionally gripping storytelling, indeed.
The GBSC play raises issues of early medical practices and the notoriously questionable ethics maintained and executed by its practitioners.
"BLACKHOLLOW" also looks at the larger questions pertaining to the study of science.
Slate’s performance shows us the plight of nurse Lucy Cull, who volunteers for a dangerous trial blood transfusion experiment in the murky depths of a 19th-century criminal lunatic asylum.
As part of the transfusion, Lucy seemingly has a supernatural reaction to the blood she receives from a mysterious comatose patient.
(Photo: Anna Slate in a moment from Weylin Symes' "BLACKHOLLOW" now playing at Greater Boston Stage Company in Stoneham, MA. through November 8, 2026. Photo Credit: Maggie Hall Photography)
Set in 1838 but still showing great relevancy to today’s society, the GBSC play looks at the human condition and ramifications for when we try to change things for the better in the face of overwhelming adversity.
The GBSC imposing single set design is vast and highly conducive to the various locations and scenarios in which Lucy finds herself, particularly in the bowels of the sanitorium, where the experiments take place.
The use of specialized lighting perfectly augments the entire aura connected to the haunting tale.
Slate’s versatility as she instantly moves between differentiating characters augments the story of "BLACKHOLLOW" yet never loses sight of nurse Cull’s overwhelming sense of personal isolation.
(Photo: Anna Slate in a moment from Weylin Symes' "BLACKHOLLOW" now playing at Greater Boston Stage Company in Stoneham, MA. through November 8, 2026. Photo Credit: Maggie Hall Photography)
"BLACKHOLLOW" uses its supernatural premise to X-ray the practices of powerful men in the medical profession and the women who endured hardship while simply trying to offer medical care to patients.
The male doctors and staff Lucy encounters believe their position entitles them unfettered access to women - their allegiance, bodies and their blind obedience.
As the situation deteriorates while the experiments continue, though, Lucy finds herself becoming less and less certain of where the lines exist between rationality and recklessness, sanity and insanity, and ultimately life and death.
(Photo: Anna Slate in a moment from Weylin Symes' "BLACKHOLLOW" now playing at Greater Boston Stage Company in Stoneham, MA. through November 8, 2026. Photo Credit: Maggie Hall Photography)
Does the experimental transfusion actually offer Lucy new unrestrained power or was this power within her the entire time?
And just how far is Lucy willing to go to maintain this newfound power?
These are questions that may have many leaving the GBSC theatre wondering…and that makes "BLACKHOLLOW" well worth seeing.
At the October 24th GBSC performance, there were some occasional line stumbles, uncooperative set pieces, and even a misidentification that Slate had to contend with, yet none of this detracted from the simply amazing multi-faceted performance given by Slate.
(Photo: Anna Slate in a moment from Weylin Symes' "BLACKHOLLOW" now playing at Greater Boston Stage Company in Stoneham, MA. through November 8, 2026. Photo Credit: Maggie Hall Photography)
The Greater Boston Stage Company production of Weylin Symes' "BLACKHOLLOW" continues in Stoneham, MA. until November 8th, 2026 and, given the versatile performance by Anna Slate, missing this one would be a bloody shame.
Coming up next at Greater Boston Stage Company will be “IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE: A LIVE RADIO PLAY” running from November 27th through December 20th, 2026.
For tickets and more information, contact the GBSC Box Office at # 781-279-2200 or at boxoffice@greaterbostonstage.org
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Approximately 90 minutes with no intermission.
Kevin T. Baldwin is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association (ATCA)
@MetrmagReviews
@Theatre_Critics
ABOUT THE SHOW
A Gothic Tale of Possession!
World Premiere!
A Don Fulton New Works Project!
Weylin Symes' "BLACKHOLLOW" is a Gothic descent into horror and possession.
Just in time for Halloween, this chilling one-woman thriller drags you deep inside a 19th-century criminal lunatic asylum, where the line between healer and monster begins to blur.
Nurse Lucy Cull is devoted to her work and eager to prove herself, but when she becomes entangled in a series of radical medical experiments, something begins to stir.
As the procedures grow more dangerous and the nights more restless, Lucy finds herself caught between science and something far more sinister.
Is she witnessing a breakthrough…or unleashing something that cannot be contained?
Part "Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," part "Jane Eyre," "BLACKHOLLOW" is a haunting psychological descent that will crawl under your skin and linger long after the lights go out.
Not for the squeamish.
ABOUT GREATER BOSTON STAGE COMPANY
GREATER BOSTON STAGE COMPANY(GBSC) brings vibrant professional theatre and dramatic education beyond the boundaries of Boston, featuring world and regional premieres alongside fresh interpretations of familiar work. Within this setting, GBSC uniquely fosters the artists of tomorrow by providing ongoing performance and employment opportunities to a company of current and former students. Located in Stoneham, MA. GBSC produces five Mainstage shows, presents a series of Special Events, and runs year-round classes, lessons, and fully staged productions through The Young Company for students in grades 1–12.
395 Main Street
Stoneham, MA. 02180
# 781-279-2200
boxoffice@greaterbostonstage.org
greaterbostonstage.org
