Dark, sordid, violent and shocking ... the plot of Misery did not exactly fit my choice of play to watch after an excellent meal.

However, I must admit, I was not once inclined to leave my seat and was rooted to the spot like the others around me.

Manama Theatre Club's presentation of Stephen King's Misery - adapted for stage by Simon Moore - started on time after the wonderful service offered by Chandran and his efficient dining team at Dilmun Club's Candles Restaurant at Saar.

I was probably one of the few people in the audience who hadn't read the book or seen the movie prior to the sold out show.

Lights off and we were soon introduced to crazy Annie Wilkes, played by Anne Kooheji, who described herself as the 'number one' fan of a well-known fiction writer, Paul Sheldon, played by Rory Adamson, who she was nursing him back to health after an accident.

The innocent and fairly normal interactions between the saviour and the saved quickly turned morbid as Annie's mood began swinging faster than a pendulum.

The audience lived through the pain and anguish and let out a loud gasp as Annie forced Paul to drink his own urine and burned the manuscript of his latest and best work.

Scenes that followed made your heart weep for the poor victim who was continuously tortured for murdering Annie's favourite character at childbirth in a previous book. Dramatic silences illustrated her infuriated state when she schemed on how to inflict even more pain on her prisoner.

The most dramatic and spine-chilling of all scenes was when a seemingly calm Annie chopped off Paul's foot with an axe in a bid to rid him of any idea of escape.

There were loud gasps of horror from the audience totally taken in and superb strobe lighting effects.

The last scene also came as a surprise when Paul outwitted his tormentor at her own game to end his misery.

Misery, directed by Iain Rawlinson and Marina, was a thriller that left the audience thinking about life's contradictions. This was a well performed and powerful piece of theatre.

-_Review:_Anasuya Kesavan