It's arguably the most theatrical of all holidays, especially in New York. The Halloween season offers a bounty of activities for theater-goers. So if seeing "Sweeney Todd" was your scariest experience at the theater, it's time to check out all that Halloween in NYC has to offer.
The H.G. Wells Science Fiction Festival If you ever find yourself wondering what a modern production of "War of the Worlds" would look like without Tom Cruise, then look no further. 59E59 Theatres is premiering four adaptations of H.G. Wells' classic sci-fi novels, just in time for Halloween. "The Time Machine," "The Invisible Man," "The War of the Worlds," and "The Island of Dr. Moreau" have all been given new stagings, complete with original soundtracks and fierce effects. Each show was adapted and directed by Dan Bianchi. But wait! On Oct. 27 and 28, the disappearing, time-traveling, monkey-people-making, alien-bashing antics go full throttle as the Halloween Weekend Marathon presents all four shows back to back to back. Take that "Coast of Utopia!" 59E59, 59 E. 59th St., $25-$75, www.59e59.org, Runs through Nov. 4
Nightmare: Ghost Stories Why shouldn't haunted houses count as theater? Ghosts and zombies are actors too, you know. The battle in NYC this year is reaching "West Side Story" levels between Timothy Haskell's "Nightmare: Ghost Stories" and "Blood Manor," located further uptown. Both are huge, scream-inducing fright-fests that only sadistic punks and the extremely loyal frequent, but this season "Nightmare: Ghost Stories" has emerged as the freakier of the two. The house features 23 rooms of horror, each inhabited by a different ghost. The ideas for the rooms were collected from an online poll asking real New Yorkers to share their paranormal experiences. So, basically, not only is this haunted house extremely frightening, but it might even include some element of truth. And you thought NYU housing was scary. 107 Suffolk St., $25-50, www.hauntedhousenyc.com, Runs through Nov. 4
"Turn of the Screw" Halloween marks the opening night of this creepy psychological thriller at the Bank Street Theatre. Based on Henry James' classic novella, the show centers on a young governess (played by NYU grad Melissa Pinsly) sent to take care of two upper-class English children. Before the plot starts to get all "Mary Poppins," the show takes a dramatic turn for the genuinely spine-tingling. The governess arrives at an eerie, Gothic manor to discover that the children's previous governess, Miss Jessel, killed herself after the valet knocked her up. Serious buzz kill. When the new governess begins to suspect that Miss Jessel isn't quite as dead as people think, she decides to take action. Bank Street Theatre, 155 Bank St., $10 w/student ID, www.wakeupmarconi.com, Oct. 31-Nov. 17
"Halloween Spooktacular" Think all the gore and Goth at Halloween is kind of a downer? Next weekend, the National Comedy Theatre presents its annual "Halloween Spooktacular." It's basically their normal improv comedy, but with added Halloween themes! Better yet, it's appropriate for all ages, so bring a freshman! So if you need a pick-me-up after all your friends see "Saw 20" without you because you're morally opposed to "torture porn," then here you go. The show even promises an ending "so bizarre that it will be discussed until Thanksgiving." Just in time for their "Thanksgiving Gobble-goria." National Comedy Theater, 347 W. 36th St., $12 w/student ID, www.manhattancomedy.com, Oct. 26-27
"The Witch's Child" The Night Kitchen Radio Theater, a well-known producer of family-friendly radio, has partnered with the New Victory Theater to give live audiences the chance to experience the recording of a radio show - "A Prairie Home Companion" for the "High School Musical" set. "The Witch's Child" is based on the book by Arthur Yorinks, founder of Night Kitchen Radio Theater. "The Witch's Child" is about a witch who desperately wants to bring her straw-child to life but fails. A young girl essentially breaks into the witch's house and befriends the straw-child but gets trapped inside when the witch unceremoniously returns. Oh, shit. The show is recommended for 7-year-olds up to adults, and should be a fascinating look at how radio theater is produced. Bonus: Tickets are cheap, so you'll still have enough dough to fill your flask before the performance. New Victory Theater, 209 W. 42nd St., $5, www.newvictory.org, Oct. 30
Will Pulos is a staff writer. E-mail him at theater@nyunews.com
Be the first to comment on this article!