Paranormal Activity

B-

In 2007 a very low-budget indie horror film with the same name, about a young couple in a haunted house, was a surprise hit that went on to become one of the most profitable movies Hollywood ever made. Its gimmick was that the story was presented as found footage recorded by security cameras, at that time the utmost in high tech. Six sequels followed. Now, playwright Levi Holloway has taken up the gauntlet with a theatrical version for the age of Alexa, FaceTime and Zoom. Lou (Cher Alvarez) and James (Travis A. Knight), a bickering young couple who have been married for almost a year, have just moved from Chicago to London, mainly to escape Lou’s anxiety, depression and blackouts, caused by a sense that she is being haunted. Alas, they learn that you can’t leave your troubles behind, and we eventually learn that Lou is not the only one being haunted. We also meet James’s Bible-thumping Southern mother Carolanne (Shannon Cochran) and a medium, Etheline Cosgrave (Eva Kaminsky), whose podcasts Lou has been avidly following. The actors are all well-suited to their roles. There are enough laughs to keep the rising tension from boiling over. Fly Davis’s cross-section of a rather dowdy London house provides a suitable setting for the action, with failing fuses, tripped alarms, banging doors and more. Designer Chris Fisher gives us two illlusions, one in each act, that got enthusiastic ovations. Note that I mention applause, not screams – I did not hear a single scream during the entire play. There were a few moments that were startling, but not truly scary. For me, things didn’t really kick into gear until the last fifteen minutes when we finally learn more about Lou and James and why they are being punished. The ending is so abrupt that if you blink you will miss it. The younger than usual audience was attentive, but not demonstrative. Most of the major New York critics gave the play enthusiastic reviews. I wish I could join them, but I thought two hours was a long time to sit there for a very modest payoff.