We sat on the edge of our seats, waiting, waiting, waiting for the bad to come: We didn’t know where or when but shrieks and yells soon filled Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Harman Hall.
At “Paranormal Activity,” I was not prepared for the siege and feared I would upend my drink (covered, if you will) on the head of the person in front of me, but I was able to maintain control when we all let loose and screamed at an unexpected scene, one which still occupies my mind days later.
“Paranormal” begins calm enough, notwithstanding the loud encounters before the curtain rises to set the stage, in case you thought this might be of milder content.
Eerie lighting goes off and on in the new London dwelling of James (Travis A. Knight, also assistant director) and Lou (Cher Álvarez) who have relocated from Chicago after Lou’s mental state took a dive which continues, but, please, don’t tell Mom, the nosy but initially pleasant mother-in-law (Shannon Cochran) who arrives via video to check on the couple, Mom, perfectly “normal,” or so it seems, but who’s “normal” nowadays?
She’s also a Bible thumper.
Please! Mama! Stay home. We don’t need you! We don’t want you, evil monster!
Something’s wrong here; James and Lou have “difficulties.”
The lights go on, the lights go off, and soon, a vibrating noise like Edgar Allan Poe’s tell-tale heartbeat, becomes deafening, akin to an airplane on a runway getting ready to soar into the sky, but it’s in your kitchen instead.
Egads!
(For those with sensitive ears, you may want to take ear plugs.)
The quaking from the beginning grows louder, the lights flicker through the window. That no one mentions these strange happenings befits the bizarre surroundings.
Theatregoers, in case you haven’t caught my drift: This is not for the squeamish or for children.
A medium (Kate Fry) is summoned to rid the house of evil spirits. She lights candles and waves her magic wand, but sizzle, sizzle… You tense up, on edge, like everyone else nearby, all quiet as a ghost until suddenly…!!!
Poof! How did they do that?
The “New York Times” named illusions director Chris Fisher’s scene one of the “16 Best Theatre Moments of 2025.” You’ll know it when you see it.
Folks, this is a classic with the award for best sound design going to two-time Tony winner Gareth Fry, and best lighting, to Anna Watson.
Fly Davis presents an excellent, complex, residence of two-floors with hallway, stairs, kitchen, den, bedrooms and more.
Felix Barrett directs “Paranormal Activity” which Levi Holloway wrote and re-staged.
Other production members are Luke Hall, video/projections; Chels Morgan, intimacy and fight coordinator; Susan Gosdick, dialects; Melanie J. Lisby, production stage manager; Julie Jachym, assistant stage manager.
The show is presented by arrangement with Paramount Pictures and Melting Pot in co-production with Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Center Theatre Group, and American Conservatory Theatre.
The play is one of the most profitable films ever made, part of the “Paranormal Activity” film franchise beginning with a $15,000 budget in 2007 and since earning $200 million.
It’s a short run here, closing Saturday night with seats starting at $43 for tonight, weekend matinees and evenings before the tour moves to San Francisco and closes in London’s West End.
About two hours plus one intermission at Shakespeare Theatre Company, 610 F Street NW, Washington, D.C.
On its website the theatre lists a “content transparency” which is “intended to inform interested patrons that a show may contain sensitive content.”
You’ve been warned.
Whoops! And there went my drink, splat! Calling for a medium to rid me of my spirits.
