Misery

Published Thursday 19 June 2008 at 12:15 by Chris High

If ever there has been a more stark warning against the mindlessness of drink driving, then Stephen King’s tale of how an author crashes his car and falls under the care of his demented number one fan is it.

The story is allegedly based on when King returned home drunk to find his wife and son being held hostage at knifepoint by a fan accusing the author of plagiarising his work.

Thankfully, Simon Moore has stuck as faithfully to the original premise revolving around just two characters, Annie and Paul, allowing director Noreen Kershaw to concentrate on how, through adversity and loneliness, the pair grow to depend upon each other.

Andrew Schofield brings a depth to Sheldon missed entirely by James Caan in the 1990 movie version. Sheldon is a successful author and a failed man and Schofield delivers these important elements with typical style, never once wavering in his character’s sense of purpose - to survive at all costs, but also to escape, as writers do, through his work.

Joan Kempson’s Annie Wilkes, Sheldon’s irreparably damaged nurse, after a more sedate start than might be expected, grows beautifully into the deranged creature made famous by Kathy Bates in the film. At the end, Kempson is either screaming and shouting with best of them or growing quiet with sinister, melancholic brilliance.

With lighting and music adding deep shadow and brilliant light, a fabulous set that revolves to hint at what is going to happen before it actually does and two ultra-fine performances, this is a darkly twisted tale of fan-love that is guaranteed to have audiences riveted.