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The Turn of the Screw
November 11-14 & 18-21, Merchants House Museum
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29 East 4th Street
New York, NY

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Screwing in the Parlor

Last night, while many of our readers were crammed like cattle into Robyn’s concert at Terminal 5, we found ourselves entertained in the grand parlor of a 19th century townhouse. No we were not referring to a meeting of our Upper East Side garden club—that got moved to Mondays. We were taking in the final dress rehearsal of “The Turn of the Screw,” Jeffrey Hatcher’s theatrical adaptation of an 1898 ghost story, which runs for the next two weeks.

The historic play tells the story of a young governess’ who is hired to look after two young siblings on an English country estate only to learn that the deaths of the children’s previous caretakers are still resonant on the property.

Two Turns Theatre Company’s chilling production, skillfully directed by Ken Cerniglia with associate director Benjamin Shaw, stages the performance in the Merchant’s House Museum, Manhattan’s only remaining fully intact family home from the 1800s. With only 34 seats, the intimate production is performed in the round by two actors, Christina LaFortune and Vince Gatton, who brilliantly tackle the complicated task of playing multiple characters within the story.

The combination of a disturbing plot, staging in a historic property confirmed to be haunted and a talented duo of actors comes together to create a particularly moving theatrical piece. Through its simplicity in composition and subtle manipulation of the audience’s senses, the short run production is something that’s experienced, not just viewed.