Wait Until Dark
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Wait Until Dark is a play by Frederick Knott.
The mystery thriller's heroine is Susy Hendrix, a blind Greenwich Village housewife who becomes the target of three thugs searching for the heroin hidden in a doll her husband transported from Canada as a favor to a woman who since has been murdered. The trio tries to convince Susy her spouse has been implicated in the crime and the only way to protect him is to surrender the doll. More murder and mayhem ensue when she refuses, with the stage lights turned off for the final scene when Suzy levels the playing field by plunging her apartment into total darkness.
After seven previews, the Broadway production, directed by Arthur Penn, opened on February 2, 1966 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. Within the next eleven months, it transferred to the Shubert, the George Abbott, and the Music Box Theatres before it ended its run of 374 performances. The cast include Lee Remick, Robert Duvall, and Mitchell Ryan. Remick was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play.
The West End production with Honor Blackman was far more successful, running nearly two years.
After eleven previews, a revival directed by Leonard Foglia opened on April 5, 1998 at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre, where it ran for 97 performances. The cast included Marisa Tomei, Quentin Tarantino, and Stephen Lang.
A 2003 London revival, followed by a UK tour, featured Susie Amy, Derren Nesbitt, and Michael Melia. The setting was changed to Notting Hill.
[edit] Film adaptation
| Wait Until Dark | |
|---|---|
 1967 Film Poster |
|
| Directed by | Terence Young |
| Written by | Robert Howard-Carrington |
| Starring | Audrey Hepburn Alan Arkin Richard Crenna |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros.-Seven Arts |
| Release date(s) | October 26, 1967 |
| Running time | 107 min. |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
A 1967 film adaptation directed by Terence Young starred Audrey Hepburn, Alan Arkin, Richard Crenna, Efrem Zimbalist Jr. and Jack Weston. In an effort to duplicate the suspense experienced by the audience in the final moments of the play, theaters dimmed their lights, then turned off one light as each light in the on-screen apartment was shattered, until the auditorium was completely dark.
Hepburn was nominated for both the Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Actress, and Zimbalist was nominated for a Globe in the supporting category.
The film ranked tenth on Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments.
[edit] External links
- Internet Broadway Database listing
- Wait Until Dark at the Internet Movie Database
- Wait Until Dark at the TCM Movie Database
- Wait Until Dark at All Movie Guide
Feature films: Dutch in Seven Lessons (1948) • Laughter in Paradise (1951) • Young Wives' Tale (1951) • One Wild Oat (1951) • The Lavender Hill Mob (1951) • Monte Carlo Baby (1951) • We Will All Go to Monte Carlo (1952) • The Secret People (1952) • Roman Holiday (1953) • Sabrina (1954) • War and Peace (1956) • Funny Face (1957) • Love in the Afternoon (1957) • Green Mansions (1959) • The Nun's Story (1959) • The Unforgiven (1960) • Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) • The Children's Hour (1961) • Charade (1963) • Paris, When It Sizzles (1964) • My Fair Lady (1964) • How to Steal a Million (1966) • Two For The Road (1967) • Wait Until Dark (1967) • Robin and Marian (1976) • Bloodline (1979) • They All Laughed (1981) • Always (1989) (cameo)
Television: Mayerling (1957) • Love Among Thieves (1987) • Gardens of the World with Audrey Hepburn (1993)
