"Wait Until Dark" at The Suffield Players is thrilling

SUFFIELD — Who would think that a missing child’s doll would be the cause of murder and mayhem?

In the Suffield Players’ production of Frederick Knott’s thriller, “Wait Until Dark,” all kinds of dark and devious deeds are unleashed on a blind but street-savvy woman, Susy Hendrix, played by the terrific Karen Balaska.

In the play, set in 1966 Greenwich Village in a basement apartment, her husband, photographer Sam Hendrix (Danny Viets), has returned from Montreal, having agreed to the strange request to bring a child’s doll on the airplane with him, to be picked up later by someone named Lisa.

The doll, which turns out to be filled with heroin, goes missing and so does Lisa. A couple of two-bit thugs played by Bill Mullen and Zach Grey (both fine losers) end up in the apartment and are blackmailed into finding the doll for an evil man, Harry Roat, played by the marvelous Konrad Rogowski.

Rogowski possessed such convincing menace that he actually received boos during the curtain call on Friday night. That’s one mean bad guy.

Emma Rucci is feisty and funny as the young, bratty neighbor, Gloria. She is pitch-perfect as the irascible and plucky 9-year-old who saves the day.

Tightly directed by Robert Lunde, this intricate and highly physical production is spine tingling, as the blind Susy is left to her own wits to outsmart the bad guys.

Balaska is convincing as Susy, the role that was played by Audrey Hepburn in the 1967 film with Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Alan Arkin, and Richard Crenna.

“Wait Until Dark” is even more harrowing because of the fast action on the dimly lit stage that is about 4 feet above the ground. Watching the actors move about the dark stage and not fall off is scary.

The set by Rowgowski looks authentically like a low rent 1960s flat, with lots of fine details, like an old-fashioned washing machine and refrigerator — and I love that starburst wall clock.

This is one show where the lighting cues are critical. Designed by Technical Director Jerry Zalewski and executed by Al La Plant, the lights were right on the mark and propelled the action.

The first act is loaded with lots of exposition and drags some, but the payoff is in the second act.

The plot line has some glaring holes in it. For example, at one point when they are trying to fool her into thinking that one of the bad guys is a cop, Susy observes that the guy is dusting the room, but how could she possibly know that if she is blind?

Despite this, the action in “Wait Until Dark” is compelling enough and the actors are convincing enough to make this show, with its unexpected twists and turns, truly thrilling to watch.