Left, Naomi Simpson as Annie; Right, Trevor Hinton as Paul (Photo credit: Times Colonist)

I saw the first performance of Misery on Tuesday night, based on the Stephen King novel and starring Naomi Simpson as Annie Wilkes and Trevor Hinton as Paul Sheldon, the famous novelist she rescues and imprisons after freeing him from a serious car accident. Some may be familiar with the 1990 film, directed by Rob Reiner, which earned Kathy Bates an Academy Award for her performance as Wilkes. The novel appeared in 1987, and this stage adaptation was written by William Goldman. Director Michael Armstrong has put together a gold standard cast, with strong performances from both Simpson and Hinton, with solid support from Sarah Murphy as the local Sheriff, who gets involved with the case and (spoiler alert!) meets with a predictable fate.

The play sets up the action right away, as we see Paul in his bed, being nursed by Annie. He is in tremendous pain, suffering from two broken legs. He begs for his pain medication, which Annie doles out, often not soon enough for Paul. We find out the she is Paul’s “number one fan”, having read all of his books in the Misery Chastain series, Victorian bodice rippers that have proved very popular, in particular with women. Paul manages to sneak out of his room on some occasions, to seek more pain medication and to find out more about Annie. They share a dinner together one night, and Paul tries to drug Annie’s wine, in an escape attempt. This fails when she knocks over her glass. When Annie reads Paul’s latest Misery book, she flies into a rage when she reads that Paul has killed off his main character. She buys a second-hand typewriter and insists that Paul write a Misery novel that revives her heroine.

Later, when Annie discovers that Paul has been getting out of his room, she punishes him by smashing his ankles (in the novel, she cuts off his foot with an ax, so I’m happy we were spared that!) When the local Sheriff comes around, Annie shoots her to death, leading Paul to become desperate about his chances to escape. To provoke Annie into a final confrontation, he burns his new book, enraging Annie, then attacks her, finally knocking her out with the typewriter and smothering her in his bed. He makes his escape, but we imagine that recovering from the trauma of this experience, over a number of months, will take a lot of time.

Both Simpson and Hinton are excellent in their respective roles. Simpson portrays Annie as warm and caring at times, cold and cruel at others. She navigates the role with ease, and it’s a pleasure to see her work here. Hinton is also very strong as Paul, showing us his terror and fear, and his resolve to survive, no matter the cost. It costs him an awful lot, as we see, but his determination to survive burns in him, and keeps him going. Director Armstrong moves the action along well, and is supported by an effective set design by Armstrong and Hans Saefkow, with lighting by Jason king and atmospheric music of the period designed by Jason King, costumes by Rachel McAdam and lighting by Rebekah Johnson. Julian Cervello was the fight director. Overall, this was an enjoyable production, well worth seeking out. Recommended. Tickets are available at https://bbrt.na.ticketsearch.com/sales/salesevent/15441