"Wait Until Dark" - by Frederick Knott - Greater Boston Stage Company (Stoneham, MA.) - REVIEW
(Cover Photo: Eliza Barmakian as "Susan" confronts Paul Melendy as "Roat" in an intense scene from Frederick Knott's "WAIT UNTIL DARK" now playing at Greater Boston Stage Company in Stoneham, MA. through March 22, 2026. Photo Credit Niles Scott Studios)
By Kevin T. Baldwin
METRMAG Reviewer
# 774-242-6724
"Most people say 'You're blind.' Like, this is what you are, not this is what you can't do anymore.”
- ("Susan") / Frederick Knott/Jeffrey Hatcher
Greater Boston Stage Company
Presents Frederick Knott's
"WAIT UNTIL DARK"
Written by Frederick Knott
Adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher
Directed by Weylin Symes
Cast Includes: Eliza Barmakian and Jenny S. Lee alternating as "Susan," Thain Bertin as "Sam, u/s Carlino," Paul Melendy as "Roat," Bill Mootos as "Carlino," Amalia Tonogbanua as "Gloria," Mamadou Toure as "Mike."
Additional Creative Team:
Scenic Designer - Katy Monthei; Lighting Designer - Jeff Adelberg^; Costume Designer - Deirdre Gerrard; Sound Designer - Caroline Eng^●; Properties Designer - Emily Allinson; Fight Choreographer - Naomi Kim; Accessibility Consultant - Sam Gould Kriveshko; Production Stage Manager - Shauwna Dias Grillo*; Assistant Stage Manager/Fight Captain - E.D. Fitzgerald*; Production Manager - Meghan Ward; Production Assistant - Kit Verweij; Scenic Builder - Misfit Toys LLC; Scenic Charge - Kate Bell.
*Member of Actor’s Equity Association
^Member of IATSE/USA +Member of SDC
◆Current Young Company Member
●Young Company Alumni
Performances:
March 6, 2026 through March 22, 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
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COVID 19 PROTOCOLS
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(Warning: The following review contains spoilers)
Greater Boston Stage Company (GBSC) has staged a marvelous homage to a classic motion picture in their latest production of "WAIT UNTIL DARK" now playing in Stoneham.
Under the keen eye of director Weylin Symes, the cast assembled for the GBSC staging are exemplary in a script that tries to bring some relevancy to a dated premise by moving the story back in time…achieving mixed results.
The thriller "WAIT UNTIL DARK" was first written by Frederick Knott in 1964, subsequently adapted into a phenomenal 1967 major motion picture featuring iconic actress Audrey Hepburn who played the story’s heroine “Susan.”
The last moments in the movie are still considered among the most suspenseful scenes ever captured on film.
The 2013 stage adaptation of "WAIT UNTIL DARK" by playwright Jeffrey Hatcher moves the original 1967 Frederick Knott play from the 1960s to the 1940s but still presents a female lead character that is not only resilient in how she contends with criminal adversaries but also in how contends with her own physical adversity.
(Photo: Jenny S. Lee as "Susan" in a scene from Frederick Knott's "WAIT UNTIL DARK" now playing at Greater Boston Stage Company in Stoneham, MA. through March 22, 2026. Photo Credit Niles Scott Studios)
In some ways, the new concept by Hatcher is effective but, in other ways, it doesn't really serve the material well.
But still, for three ruthless criminals seeking to trick and torment an incredibly brave blind woman, it is they who soon find themselves outwitted and outnumbered.
The GBSC set design is flawlessly detailed for the dreadful basement apartment in Greenwich Village, where the story of "WAIT UNTIL DARK" takes place.
While it may not seem much, it is an apartment perfectly suited to the needs of a recently married couple simply trying to make ends meet on a budget.
It is here that the young unsighted woman is about to find herself caught up in a very dangerous game.
In this run down 1940s style apartment, along stage left, there is an ugly white refrigerator that, with its door wide open, from inside you (but not she) can see a bright white light.
A safe is located stage right with assorted furniture adorning the stage, all positioned to make things more accessible to a person without sight.
(Photo: Eliza Barmakian as "Susan" on the phone as Bill Mootos as "Carlino" watches in a scene from Frederick Knott's "WAIT UNTIL DARK" now playing at Greater Boston Stage Company in Stoneham, MA. through March 22, 2026. Photo Credit Niles Scott Studios)
In the GBSC production, the blind character Susan is portrayed at alternating performances by Eliza Barmakian and Jenny S. Lee.
For this reviewed March 7th performance of "WAIT UNTIL DARK," Lee portrayed Susan and was simply magnificent in her sensitive yet effectively authentic rendering.
Lee’s captivating performance as Susan completely dominates.
Susan was not born blind but rather only recently became blind, and now she spends a lot of time at home by herself as her newlywed husband photographer Sam (Thain Bertin) travels a lot for his work.
Bertin as Sam is quite good but is only onstage for mere minutes early on in Act One and is not seen again until literally the final moments of the show.
Therefore, as written, there is quite little the actor can do to make an impact.
We learn Sam was asked to hold onto a doll for an enigmatic woman as they both exited an airplane but, suddenly, the woman left in a hurry, leaving Sam with the doll.
So, Sam brought the doll home.
(Photo: Bill Mootos as "Carlino" deals with Paul Melendy as "Roat" in a scene from Frederick Knott's "WAIT UNTIL DARK" now playing at Greater Boston Stage Company in Stoneham, MA. through March 22, 2026. Photo Credit Niles Scott Studios)
As the story of "WAIT UNTIL DARK" continues to unfold, Susan’s life is put into jeopardy by crooks playing a treacherous “cat and mouse” game for which her only ally is young neighbor Gloria (Amalia Tonogbanua) a disturbed, unruly, rambunctious young girl.
As the troubled Gloria, someone clearly suffering from her own set of personal struggles, Tonogbanua is quite notable, well serving not only as Susan’s only ally, but also providing some much needed humor in an otherwise dark and gloomy script.
We learn that the missing woman Sam encountered was a con artist and smuggler.
The doll is now being sought by her accomplice, Mr. Roat (Paul Melendy), who has made the woman “an offer she couldn’t refuse” while coercing his two co-conspirators, Mike (Mamadou Toure) and Carlino (Bill Mootos), into implementing his scheme to recover the doll, which holds a fortune in smuggled goods.
(Photo: Eliza Barmakian as "Susan" confronts Paul Melendy as "Roat" in an intense scene from Frederick Knott's "WAIT UNTIL DARK" now playing at Greater Boston Stage Company in Stoneham, MA. through March 22, 2026. Photo Credit Niles Scott Studios)
Among the performances in the "WAIT UNTIL DARK" six-member cast, Toure is quite effective showcasing the morally conflicted side of Mike, as is Mootos showing us the gruff, greedy Carlino.
Melendy is completely invested as the vicious and sadistic manipulator Roat, who is absent of any moral center, also versatile performing as other characters as Roat plots to fool Susan into revealing where Sam “hid” the doll.
The use of the blinds and technical effects used during the GBSC show were implemented with precision, and the inclusion of ominous underscoring music during Act Two was crucial in heightening the sense of unease as we loom ever closer to the show’s intense conclusion.
(Photo: Paul Melendy as "Roat" in a scene from Frederick Knott's "WAIT UNTIL DARK" now playing at Greater Boston Stage Company in Stoneham, MA. through March 22, 2026. Photo Credit Niles Scott Studios)
"WAIT UNTIL DARK" continues from Greater Boston Stage Company in Stoneham until March 22nd, 2026 and audiences should be forewarned the show includes compelling scenes taking place in virtual darkness.
Coming up next from GBSC will be Heidi Schreck’s "WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME" which begins April 10th and runs until April 26th, 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 two hours with one intermission.
Kevin T. Baldwin is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association (ATCA)
@MetrmagReviews
@Theatre_Critics
ABOUT THE SHOW
In the shadows, the truth will come to light.
This thrilling new adaptation of the classic mystery "WAIT UNTIL DARK" is a cat-and-mouse story filled with twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Set in 1944 Greenwich Village, "WAIT UNTIL DARK" follows Susan Hendrix, a blind but resourceful woman, as she faces off against a trio of men who menace her within her own apartment.
As the tension builds, Susan realizes that her blindness may be the key to her escape - but she must wait until nightfall for the chilling conclusion to unfold.
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
