William Goldman: Misery at Petőfi Theater Veszprém

In a small, secluded hotel, popular novelist Paul Sheldon has just finished his latest book, and, defying the harsh winter weather, he happily sets off on his journey. But on a deserted Colorado highway, Paul’s car plunges into a ravine, and it would slowly be buried by the thick snow if a local woman, Annie Wilkes, hadn’t found him. She pulls the immobilized writer from the wreckage and takes him home so she can nurse him back to health.

It seems Paul really does have incredible luck, since he survived the accident, and Annie is not only a trained nurse, but, by her own admission, the writer’s biggest fan as well. Until he can walk again, Paul is forced to stay at Annie’s house, since the roads have been closed due to constant snowstorms, and even phone service to the outside world has been cut off. Paul is therefore completely at Annie’s mercy, and she, of course, is overjoyed that her beloved author is enjoying her hospitality.

He may have survived the accident, but Paul is slowly coming to realize that his trials are far from over: there are more and more strange signs, the atmosphere is increasingly oppressive, and Annie’s enthusiasm is much deeper and more demonic than mere teenage infatuation.

The original Broadway production was created by Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures, in association with Castle Rock Entertainment, Liz Glotzer, Mark Kaufmann, Martin Shafer, and Raymond Wu.

The play’s world premiere was staged by production director Jed Bernstein at the Bucks County Playhouse (New Hope, Pennsylvania, USA).

In Hungary, the play is staged through a production by THEATRUM MUNDI Theater and Literary Agency

www.theatrum-mundi.hu

The stage adaptation was prepared by Csaba Tasnádi and Krisztina Kovács based on Krisztina Kovács’s translation.