Theater companies have to be especially innovative these days
because performance spaces have become scarce and smaller companies often
cannot afford the ones that are rentable. Hence the now popular “home
invasion.” No, robbery has nothing to do with it. In fact, these companies are
welcomed with open arms.
Theatre On Fire, for one, is taking Meghan Brown’s
delightfully creepy (in the complimentary sense) THE GYPSY MACHINE to homes in
neighborhoods from Allston-Brighton to Davis Square. (TOF has only one week of
performances left: To find out where, go to their website: theateronfire.org)
THE GYPSY MACHINE is a nifty little paranormal thriller like
the scripts Rod Serling used to write for THE TWILIGHT ZONE. This ghastly,
ghostly tale keeps you on your toes as it shifts your perception from scene to
scene. Just when you think you know who’s evil, you begin to doubt yourself,
just like the characters do.
We meet a young couple (Clare Tassinari and Grant Terzakis)
in search of answers around an unusual missing person (Gigi Watson) case. They,
in turn, meet a mysterious stranger (Casey Preston) with inexplicable knowledge
about their lives. I can’t divulge much more for fear of spoiling the spooky
surprises in the taut TOF production.
Darren Evans directs the four character piece with an eye for
maximum chill as well as an ear for an amusing turn of phrase. The acting is
first rate, naturalistic enough for us to believe, with heightened realism in
the quirky nooks and crannies, to deliver the requisite shivers.
Sam Baltrusis, the author of several books on Massachusetts hauntings,
says that although New Englanders are a skeptical lot, 90 % of us believe in
ghosts. Even if you scoff, TOF’s THE GYPSY MACHINE is a well oiled contraption definitely
worth the ride.
