Description and review of House on Haunted Hill, now playing at the B Street Theatre at The Sofia on Capitol Avenue in Midtown Sacramento.
Friends and I attended House on Haunted Hill this past weekend, a play adapted for the stage by B Street Theatre Artistic Producer and company member Dave Pierini. House on Haunted Hill is playing through February 17 – so if you get a chance go see it. Put simply, it is a hoot!
I was not familiar with the movie by the same name, so the day after I “googled” it to learn that the original 1959 film is considered a “classic” horror film.
House on Haunted Hill – The Film
The original 1959 film was directed by William Castle, known as the “gimmick horror film” king in his heyday. The film starred:
- Vincent Price as Frederick Loren
- Carol Ohmart as Annabelle Loren
- Richard Long as Lance Schroeder
- Alan Marshal as Dr. David Trent
- Carolyn Craig as Nora Manning
- Elisha Cook Jr. as Watson Pritchard
- Julie Mitchum as Ruth Bridges
There was a 1999 remake of House on Haunted Hill, but the on-line consensus appears to be that the original movie is far superior. Isn’t that often the case?
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The Plot
Millionaire Frederick Loren invites five strangers to a “haunted house” party and offers $10,000 to each if they stay in the house overnight with him and his wife Anabelle. Unexplained gruesome deaths have occurred in the house and some believe the house is haunted by the deceased.
House on Haunted Hill – The Play
House on Haunted Hill is a two-act play with one intermission. As I researched the original movie it became obvious that Dave Pierini stuck closely to the dialogue in 1959 film as I recognized many (if not most) of the dialogue.
The cast of the B Street Theatre adaption of House on Haunted Hill are:
- Greg Alexander as Frederick Loren
- Elisabeth Nunziato as Anabelle Loren
- Jason Kuykendall as Lance Schroeder
- Dave Pierini as Dr. David Trent
- Tara Sissom as Nora Manning
- John Lamb as Watson Pritchard
- Amy Kelly as Ruth Bridges
All of the actors did a great job – and it was obvious that the audience appreciated the campy nature of the production as it erupted in laughter again and again.
This month the B Street Theatre is celebrating its one year anniversary at The Sofia (Tsakopoulos Center for Performing Arts). As I watched the play unfold, I once again thought of how the new venue has allowed the company to expand their creative endeavors. The steaming vat of acid in the basement of the house, for example, is a special effect that could not have been replicated at the original B Street location.
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