The year is 1987and a major blizzard has just hit rural Colorado. A best-selling author is held hostage by an insane nurse. This is the setting of the book-to-play adaptation of Stephen King’s Misery. This Broadway play features Bruce Willis as Paul Sheldon, and Laura Metcalf as Annie Wilkes. A blizzard has left Paul in an accident and he wakes up in a strange room with a sling around his arm and the inability to move his legs. He then meets Annie Wilkes, his savior and “number one fan.” She explains to him that she saved him from a crash and that the roads leading to the nearest town are, at the moment, impassable. So, she vows to care for him until they are able to get help. However, very soon, Paul realizes Annie is less of his savior and more his antagonist. In his attempts to escape, Paul learns that the seemingly oblivious Annie is actually an intelligent psychopath.

Actress, Laura Metcalf, adapted Annie Wilkes’ unhinged personality to a tee. Her deranged antics throughout the play demonstrate her close study on the character. In my opinion, she was the real star of the play. Bruce Willis’, Paul Sheldon, although witty and unafraid, was nothing compared to his eccentric counterpart.

I would recommend this play to any Stephen King fan or one who likes to watch a psychopathic villain wreak havoc on some unsuspecting people. I also suggest reading the original novel and watching the 1990 movie starring Kathy Bates, so that you can compare all three and find your favorite adaption of this dark but timeless story.