West End Players Guild’s “The Turn of the Screw” is a haunting and cerebral ghost story

As spooky season is approaching the West End Players Guild opens their new season with Jeffrey Hatcher’s 1996 adaptation of “The Turn of the Screw.” Hatcher’s script is a two actor, 90-minute, one act play that is based on Henry James’ 1898 gothic horror novel of the same name.

Directed by Morgan Maul-Smith, “The Turn of the Screw” puts the audience inside the mind of a young twenty-something governess hired to care for two young children in the absence of their uncle. The mysterious circumstances surrounding the deaths of the former governess, and her former lover, haunts the children. The cerebral ghost story unfolds as the new caretaker assumes her new role in the mansion.

Maul-Smith nimbly paces the production and keeps the eeriness high with her spectral lighting and sound design. She uses what is billed as incidental music to add spine-chilling effect. Tracy Newsome’s mid-Victorian costume designs provide added story authenticity. Maul-Smith garners performances with just the right amount of peculiarity from the pair of actors she cast as The Woman and the Man.

Payton Gillam (The Woman) plays the children’s governess. Her role is split between monologues and conversations with the children’s uncle, 10-year-old Miles, his mute sister Flora, and the housekeeper Mrs. Grose. Gillam’s effective narration and disquieting performance conveys The Woman’s mental decline from the ghostly aberrations and their effect on the children. Her monologues and work with Rob McLemore (The Man) are terrific. There are a few awkward moments she speaks with the never seen Flora, especially in her physical performance as she takes Flora’s imaginary hand and guides her on a walk through the garden. It is a tall order to have a one-sided conversation in any role, and that criticism is not meant to detract from Gillam’s effective portrayal.

Rob McLemore (The Man) gives a chameleon-like performance. He inhabits the roles of Miles, Mrs. Grose, and the children’s uncle. He uses his physicality and intonations to quickly transition between Mrs. Grose and Miles. His portrayal makes it immediately obvious which characterization he is presenting, He is entirely believable portraying a young boy and a female housekeeper. Credit goes to Maul-Smith and McLemore for their collaboration as director and actor for his extremely satisfying performance.

West End Players’ eerie production of “The Turn of the Screw” continues through October 13, 2024. Morgan Maul-Smith, Payton Gillam, and Rob McLemore collaborate to stage Jeffery Hatcher’s unnerving adaptation in entertaining style. It is a bit unsettling, a little chilling, and a lot of fun for those who like a spooky tale.