GLENVIEW, Ill.—She loses her grocery bill, misplaces jewelry, removes pictures from a wall, but forgets she did so. It’s apparent that she’s hiding things but then forgets having done so. She hears someone or something moving about in the long-sealed, supposedly empty attic. She sees the gas lights turning on and off in the middle of the night while there’s no one in the house. She hears strange noises that no one else can hear. Is she losing her mind, or is something more sinister going on?
That is the question that permeates “Gaslight (Angel Street),” the psychological thriller now in a suspenseful revival at the Oil Lamp Theater in Glenview, Illinois.
“Gaslight” opened in London in 1938, then went on to a premiere on Broadway in 1941 as “Angel Street.” It was written by British playwright Patrick Hamilton (1904–1962). Hamilton also wrote the play “Rope,” which debuted in 1929 and upon which Hitchcock’s 1948 movie of the same name was based. “Gaslight” was adapted into the noir film that starred Ingrid Bergman, Charles Boyer, and Joseph Cotten in 1944. Now in revival at Oil Lamp Theater, it’s a terrific nail-biter that’s faithful to the original melodrama.
With the assistance of a talented group of artists, director Susan Gorman has created a taut, hair-raising ambiance of mystery and suspense. You can feel something menacing hanging in the air and the atmosphere of dread permeates throughout the plot’s unfolding.
Taut Suspense
Both the drama and the film share themes of psychological abuse and taut suspense. Unlike the film that moves its setting from inside to the outdoors, the play is limited to a one-room locale.
That intimate stage setting is an 1880s Victorian England drawing room, provided by designer Spencer Donovan. It gives the production a claustrophobic feeling. Taylor Pfenning’s historical period costuming provides an authenticity to the time period.
Richard P. Reid’s haunting sound design in which mysterious footfalls and creaking doors are heard keeps audiences apprehensive and at the edge of their seats in gripping expectation.
The historical setting is necessary. One of the most important aspects of the drama is that it takes place in Victorian England, when the use of gas to light a room was a new innovation. One of the clues to the mystery is that when the gas is lit in one part of the house, the light levels drop briefly in other parts of the house. That’s why the on-and-off dimming lighting effects by Rachel Hemm kick up the forbidding effects of the production. They create an eerie, haunting atmosphere that enhances the psychological thriller effect of the play.
While the tension of the story is heightened by the illusionary aspects created by the artistic talents, the drama requires top-notch performances. The characters’ mental states are of utmost importance to the compelling moments of this “Gaslight.” Megan Kueter’s portrayal of Mrs. Manningham, the woman who believes she’s losing her mind, and who was played by Ingrid Bergman in the film, is crucial. Kueter is captivating as the insecure, tormented heroine who leaps from disbelief to loneliness to fear to manic hysteria.
As her devious husband, Mr. Manningham, Sam Fain recalls the subtle, sexy charlatan menace of a Charles Boyer, who played the role in the movie. James Sparling is convincing as detective Rough who is drawn to Mrs. Manningham; he comes to the Victorian house in a search of an answer to its mysterious roller coaster events. Also contributing are Dina Monk and Charlotte Jaffe, who deliver nice turns as the Manningham’s housekeeper and maid, respectively.
Those who have seen the “Gaslight” film will find the play from which it was adapted a once-again intriguing spine-tingling treat. Those who haven’t seen the film and are experiencing this show for the first time will be chills-down-their-back enthralled.
All theatergoers will be riveted by the Hitchcockian-style mystery. As an additional plus, they will never again wonder about the meaning of “gaslighting.”
‘Gaslight (Angel Street)’
Oil Lamp Theater
1723 Glenview Rd., Glenview, Ill.
Tickets: 847-834-0738 or OilLampTheater.org
Runs: 2 hours, 10 minutes (one intermission)
Closes: Nov. 2, 2025
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