Capsule Stage Reviews: Frozen, Love, Janis, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Veronica's Room

Veronica's Room To paraphrase Tolstoy, all unhappy houses are alike, especially the dark and stormy ones. And this old manse somewhere on the outskirts of Boston is as dank and foreboding as any found on the Yorkshire moors. It comes with its own thunderstorm, too. Ira Levin, the mastermind behind Rosemary's Baby, Deathtrap, A Kiss Before Dying and, in sunnier days, No Time For Sergeants, penned this creepy shocker in 1974. It had an all-star cast on Broadway but failed to attract much attention. I don't see why — it has a chilling pseudo-Twilight Zone premise with enough twists for a pretzel. Aggressive Boston student Susan (Sara Jo Dunstan), on a date with shy Larry (Raygan Kelly), is approached by a solicitous old couple (Lisa Schofield and Steve Carpentier) who are the caretakers of the aforementioned spooky mansion. Susan looks exactly like Veronica, a child who died in the house in 1935. The child's sister is still alive, but ailing and feebleminded. Would Susan do them the great honor of impersonating Veronica for just a few minutes to give the dying sister a chance to say goodbye? Larry's suspicious, but Susan welcomes the challenge and the chance to do a good deed. What could go wrong? She's obviously never seen a creepy old-house thriller. What happens in Veronica's room is penny dreadful, I assure you, but will guarantee a genuine Victorian gothic tingle or two, thanks to the atmospheric direction by Ananka Kohnitz and fine ensemble work. Dunstan is appropriately naive, then terrified. Who wouldn't be, with pros Schofield and Carpentier lurking in the shadows ready to pounce? Through January 26. Theatre Southwest, 8944-A Clarkcrest, 713-661-9505. — DLG