A critwink* from the Intelligent Showmosexual
*In case you missed it, critwinks are smaller reviews turned out in a single draft.
“Places aren’t haunted; people are,” says an eerily tranquil voiceover just before a scrim rises with borderline painful slowness to reveal the elaborate two-story set of Paranormal Activity.
This quick succession of beats before the action truly begins encapsulates much of what works best about the new Broadway play inspired by the popular horror-film franchise of the same name.
Fly Davis’s impressive set hints at the astonishing array of visuals that infuse the production with an undeniable wow factor, many the handiwork of illusions designer Chris Fisher. The scrim’s creeping ascent reflects how director Felix Barrett pairs special effects with clever yet traditional stagecraft to build tension. The voiceover, chillingly delivered by Eva Kaminsky, epitomizes how well (at least most of) the cast sells the material. The words themselves articulate the theme that drives the play.
And—make no mistake—the best horror is indeed rooted in concept, not jump scares. Rosemary’s Baby is about bodily autonomy and the dismissal of women’s voices. Carrie is about otherness and religious oppression. Get Out is about structural racism and the exploitation of Black bodies. Yes, they all include thrills that make audiences scream, but these films enjoy critical acclaim and enduring popularity because they don’t actually rely on them. Good horror is like a good layer cake. The jump scares are the frosting: they’re most people’s favorite part, but if they’re not appropriately apportioned or attached to a solid foundation, the whole thing is unpalatable or just falls apart.
To be clear, Paranormal Activity isn’t nearly as original or intelligent as the films I’ve listed above. However, a major reason it works as well as it does is that it’s built around more than exclamations of “boo!” Playwright Levi Holloway introduces us to semi-newlyweds James (Travis A. Knight) and Lou (Cher Álvarez). They’ve recently relocated from Chicago to London, hoping the change of scenery will stabilize Lou after a rocky period. James believes her distress is psychological, a topic he discusses a little too freely over FaceTime with his proudly Christian mother (Shannon Cochran). Lou, on the other hand, insists she’s being haunted by something supernatural, the kind of otherworldly phenomenon that she hears about on a podcast hosted by Dr. Etheline Cotgrave (Kaminsky).
Even in my brief synopsis, you can probably spot some of the familiar tropes that Holloway employs—the doubting husband, the fragile wife, the specter of religion, an expert in…well…specters. At the same time, he writes relationships very well and skillfully weaves surprises into scenes, which are deftly shaped by Barrett. There are a couple of cringeworthy moments with stilted dialogue and melodramatic turns, but Holloway largely succeeds in making a play that’s genuinely about something while still incorporating the staples of the genre that fans want. It’s a credit to him that the evening’s most unnerving moments are some hair-raising quotables rather than one of Fisher’s stunning illusions.
For the most part, the cast serves the writing well. Knight is natural and commendably earnest as James, no matter what the script asks of him. Álvarez is engaging as Lou, but she isn’t quite dramatically agile enough to pull off everything the script asks of her. Cochran is a delight, somehow conjuring both Piper Laurie in Carrie and Jan Hooks in Designing Women. And Kaminsky is perfection.
Unfortunately, the biggest obstacle I experienced in fully surrendering to Paranormal Activity’s spookiness is one that the artists involved cannot control: the audience. These days, it seems that theatre people, myself included, are always griping about audience etiquette. Some of these complaints (e.g., the pervasive use of cell phones) strike me as indisputably legitimate; others lead me to ask whether we’re being overly fussy (does it really hurt anyone if standing ovations have become the norm at curtain call?).
I am certain, however, that the audience at Paranormal Activity was objectively the rudest I’ve ever encountered on Broadway, with behavior undoubtedly being made worse by the copious amount of alcohol—sold by the theater—that I saw being consumed. People conversed constantly with their neighbors. People talked back to the stage, shouting things like “Don’t go in that room!” in a way that felt performative and self-centered, not organic or instinctual. People catcalled Knight and laughed openly and loudly in those moments when dialogue or changes of behavior felt contrived.
I realize that some of that conduct, especially talking back to the action, is what people find fun about horror movies, but this was, of course, not a movie. Part of me loves that many are being drawn to the theatre for the first time by the name recognition of Paranormal Activity. The majority of them may never see a show again, but, surely for a few, this experience will be a “gateway drug” that inspires them to see something else. Theatre badly needs new audiences, and the effectiveness of this production could very well bring them in.
Another part of me, though, can’t help but wonder if we’re better off without anyone who behaves as my fellow theatergoers did at Paranormal Activity. Their attention-seeking and lack of consideration kept taking me out of the world of the play. They prevented it from being as frightening as it could have been.
Nevertheless, Paranormal Activity is a lot of fun. It even features a few moments that are scary as hell. Given the experience of seeing it—and the themes it explores—it’s worth remembering what Jean-Paul Sartre wrote in another play involving the afterlife: “Hell is other people.”
the not-a-bottom line
🌈🌈🌈½ (out of five)
a guide to ticket-buying
My guess is there’s less drinking in the crowd during the week, so go on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday.
For clear views of the second level, avoid the first couple of rows.
The best seats are in center orchestra rows D–G.