"Paranormal Activity" - by Levin Holloway - Emerson Colonial Theatre (Boston, MA.) - REVIEW
(Cover Photo: Travis A. Knight as “James” in a moment from Levi Holloway's "PARANORMAL ACTIVITY" now playing for a limited engagement at the Emerson Colonial Theatre in Boston, MA. through July 30, 2026. Photo Courtesy Tour Website)
By Kevin T. Baldwin
METRMAG Reviewer
# 774-242-6724
"Places aren't haunted...people are."
- ("Etheline Cotgrave") / Levi Holloway
The Emerson Colonial Theatre
Presents Levi Holloway's
"PARANORMAL ACTIVITY"
LIMITED ENGAGEMENT!
Strictly Limited Pre-Broadway Engagement
Lead Producer Melting Pot presents the Olivier Award Nominated New Play
Written by Levi Holloway
Directed by Felix Barrett
Cast Includes: Cher Álvarez as “Lou,” Travis A. Knight as “James,” Shannon Cochran as “Carolanne,” Andrea Syglowski as “Etheline Cotgrave,”
Ensemble and Understudies: Bobby J. Howlett, Caron Buinis, Caroline Hendricks, Michael Holding, Eva Kaminsky.
Additional Creative Team:
Scenic and Costume Design - Fly Davis; Illusions Design - Chris Fisher; Lighting Design - Anna Watson; Sound Design - Gareth Fry; Video and Projections Design - Luke Halls; General Management - Samuel Dallas/Envoy Theatricals.
Performances:
July 11, 2026 through July 30, 2026
(Contact Box Office for Exact Times)
EMERSON COLONIAL THEATRE, 106 Boylston Street, Boston, MA. 02116
TICKETS:
By phone # 888-616-0272
Box Office Hours: Monday-Friday: 9am - 8pm (EST); Saturday-Sunday: 10am - 8pm (EST)
THE EMERSON COLONIAL THEATRE Box Office is located at 106 Boylston Street, Boston, MA. 02116
THE EMERSON COLONIAL THEATRE website is the official source for tickets:
http://www.emersoncolonialtheatre.com/
BUY TICKETS
COVID 19 PROTOCOLS
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(Warning: The following review contains spoilers)
Yes, there’s something strange in the neighborhood as “spooky season” commences a little early in Boston this year with "PARANORMAL ACTIVITY" now underway at the Emerson Colonial Theatre.
Set to begin previews on Broadway next month, the play, written by Levi Holloway and directed by Felix Barrett, debuted in the West End in 2025.
If you are a fan of the "PARANORMAL ACTIVITY" supernatural horror film franchise created by Oren Peli, then you will love this inspired play entry of the series.
Now, to be candid, while I am a fan of suspense, ghoulishness and unexplained phenomena, I am not usually into the more “graphic” horror.
Anything with a chainsaw or anything that develops into “torture porn” territory, I’m out.
Thankfully, there’s none of that here.
Don’t get me wrong - I was still of the generation that first saw the emergence of the “Jason” / “Freddie” / “Michael” movie franchises and I admit to seeing most if not all of those films and their sequels.
More recently, though, horror films have become more and more about the graphic, the grotesque and the abruptness of loud chords played to sudden quick cuts, jump scares and preposterous reveals (“It’s there! It’s not there! Wait! It’s back again! What do you mean I’m dead?”) the redundancy of which, quite frankly, gets tedious after a while.
All that nonsense aside, I do believe this show will appeal to a slightly younger audience, a generation raised more on films like “The Ring” "Saw," “The Grudge” or the revamped “IT!” movies.
While suspenseful mood music is still used, there are no gory moments in this latest staged entry – only ingenious effects, illusion trickery and superb ghost storytelling.
The first film in the "PARANORMAL ACTIVITY" series debuted in 2007 and the series has proven so popular that an eighth installment is currently in development.
(Photo: Cher Álvarez as “Lou” and Travis A. Knight as “James” in a scene from Levi Holloway's "PARANORMAL ACTIVITY" now playing for a limited engagement at the Emerson Colonial Theatre in Boston, MA. through July 30, 2026. Photo Courtesy Tour Website)
This "PARANORMAL ACTIVITY" original story now playing in Boston follows a couple not featured in any of the films.
In effort to escape their respective pasts, newlyweds James (Travis A. Knight) and Lou (Cher Álvarez) move from Chicago to London for a fresh start.
The gorgeous, mammoth set used in this show is technically awe-inspiring in its multi-faceted design and the level of visual effects used will have you looking repeatedly at nearly every spot of the set wondering when and where each subsequent effect will occur.
Both Knight and Álvarez have solid chemistry and it is primarily because of this appeal that we completely buy into their relationship, strained and doomed though it may be (let’s face it – it is a horror story).
They are also able to infuse elements of great humor with pinpoint accuracy in their delivery, alleviating the show from becoming too maudlin or gloomy.
Over videochat, James discusses the couple's new life in London with his mother, Carolanne (Shannon Cochrane), who lives in Florida.
Later, Carolanne invades the couple's home and stirs up things greatly thanks to a methodical performance by Cochrane.
(Photo: Cher Álvarez as “Lou” in a scene from Levi Holloway's "PARANORMAL ACTIVITY" now playing for a limited engagement at the Emerson Colonial Theatre in Boston, MA. through July 30, 2026. Photo Courtesy Tour Website)
Lou takes medications for her mental wellness needs but, once the couple begin encountering supernatural activity in their new home, her sanity and any sense of reality soon is on the brink.
Knight is captivating as the compassionate and supportive James, who tries his best to console the tormented Lou, but soon the tables are turned and James finds himself, too, tormented.
The couple seek the assistance of local London spiritualist “ghost buster” Etheline Cotgrave (normally played by Andrea Syglowski but played at the July 16th performance by Eva Kaminsky) who attempts to serve as a bridge between the couple and whatever “entity” is plaguing them.
Unfortunately, this just seems to make matters worse as the story progresses.
(Photo: Travis A. Knight as “James” and Cher Álvarez as “Lou” in a scene from Levi Holloway's "PARANORMAL ACTIVITY" now playing for a limited engagement at the Emerson Colonial Theatre in Boston, MA. through July 30, 2026. Photo Courtesy Tour Website)
Now, while some of a certain age might recall Eddie Murphy’s famous routine about how “some folks” never just leave when they find out their house is haunted.
I kept running that in my head while watching this story unfold, over and over.
Then I realized while that argument would normally be valid here, as well, and many times we do sit wondering “why are they hanging around? Why are they still here?”
- Except the creatives involved obviously foresaw this and have made it clear from the outset that “places aren’t haunted, people are.”
No – James and Lou are on a road with no turns, no offramps and ultimately find that some buried secrets will come forth and hit both them and us as hard as a speeding SUV.
As a ghost story, this is absolutely visceral entertainment at its best.
As a well-constructed story, though, there are more plot holes here than there are potholes in Boston.
The momentum of the story is interrupted several times in both Act One and Act Two as the curtain drops for scene changes, which seems to reduce the overall impact of what is happening, even though it denotes some passage of time.
And yet, there are many times when we are left unsure of just how much actual time has passed between scenes and why certain events have been let to devolve to the point of (literally) no return.
However, because the play is so well executed (possible phrasing issue there) we ultimately give a pass to most of those minor details and just sit back and enjoy the preposterousness of it all, which is probably why the performances of "PARANORMAL ACTIVITY" have become so popular with audiences both here in the U.S. and across the pond.
(Photo: Travis A. Knight as “James” in a moment from Levi Holloway's "PARANORMAL ACTIVITY" now playing for a limited engagement at the Emerson Colonial Theatre in Boston, MA. through July 30, 2026. Photo Courtesy Tour Website)
Make sure to get a dose of this freaky ghost as "PARANORMAL ACTIVITY" continues its limited engagement at the Emerson Colonial Theatre in Boston until July 30th, 2026.
Approximately two and a half hours with one intermission.
Kevin T. Baldwin is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association (ATCA)
@MetrmagReviews
@Theatre_Critics
ABOUT THE SHOW
"PARANORMAL ACTIVITY" will play Boston’s Emerson Colonial Theatre before moving to Broadway.
James and Lou move from Chicago to London to escape their past, but they soon discover that places aren’t haunted, people are.
With an original story inspired by the film franchise, "PARANORMAL ACTIVITY" reimagines the modern ghost story with an intimacy that only live theatre can provide.
TICKETS available by phone # 888-616-0272
BUY TICKETS
ABOUT THE EMERSON COLONIAL THEATRE
In its storied history, THE EMERSON COLONIAL THEATRE has debuted such seminal Broadway shows as Anything Goes, Porgy and Bess, Oklahoma!, Born Yesterday, Follies, A Little Night Music, Grand Hotel and La Cage aux Folles, among others. Reviving a great theatrical tradition, Boston’s newly restored EMERSON COLONIAL THEATRE officially re-opened its doors in July 2018 with the pre-Broadway World Premiere of Moulin Rouge! The Musical. THE EMERSON COLONIAL THEATRE, which opened in 1900 with a production of Ben-Hur, is the oldest continuously operated theater in Boston; as well as being amongst the most magnificent, having retained most of its original period details. A theatre for the community, EMERSON COLONIAL THEATRE will once again contribute to the rich cultural landscape of Boston, with a new and varied program of Broadway shows, live music, comedy and events.
106 Boylston Street
Boston, MA. 02116
