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| Locals to get a taste of 'Misery' |
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| Written by Jonathan Partridge / Patterson Irrigator | |
| Wednesday, 24 October 2007 | |
At a glance
The words “No. 1 fan” might never have sounded as creepy as they do in the Stephen King novel, “Misery.”  Photo by Jonathan Partridge / Patterson Irrigator Starting Friday, Patterson Repertory Theatre hopes to elicit a few frightened glances of its own with Simon Moore’s theatrical rendition of the horror and suspense novel. “What’s cool about it is there are some really scary moments, but there are some really comical moments, too,” said Colton Dennis, director and PRT co-founder. Modesto resident Shelly Bort portrays Annie Wilkes, and Patterson resident Claude Mills plays the role of novelist Paul Sheldon. Bort said she had read the novel but not watched the movie before trying out for the part. “As soon as I got the part, I saw the movie, and it scared the living daylights out of me,” she said. Bort runs her own musical theater conservatory in Modesto and has past experience teaching at Playhouse Merced and recording music in Nashville.  Photo by Jonathan Partridge / Patterson Irrigator “It’s scary with a purpose,” she said. Bort also worked as musical director for PRT’s production of “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” in summer 2003, and she has known Dennis about five years. She said she appreciates the depth he has tried to work into the production. “Colton, without a doubt, is the best director I’ve ever worked with,” she said. Mills is a theater veteran in his own right, having performed in 20 plays, the made-for-TV movie “Bill Gunter, U.S. Marshal” and an episode of the sitcom “Seinfeld.” The Oklahoma native moved to Patterson six years ago. The performance will be his PRT debut and will mark the first time his wife will have seen him on stage. He said the role of Paul Sheldon is one of the toughest he has taken on. “It’s the first (role) I’ve ever played that’s this complex and emotionally distraught,” he said. Mills gave kudos to his co-star and director, saying that working with Bort has made him a better actor. Dennis said both actors have challenging roles, as Annie goes from childlike to maternal to scary, while Paul is egotistical yet vulnerable and is forced to manipulate Annie’s emotions. “They’re both really tough parts,” he said. This is the second year in a row the repertory theater has offered a horror-themed play near Halloween. Last year, it performed a rendition of the 1968 classic horror film “Night of the Living Dead.” Dennis described “Night of the Living Dead” as a more family-oriented play, while this play is geared toward adults. He said the theater group hopes to alternate adult- and child-oriented Halloween plays each year. He noted that Halloween is the favorite holiday of Patterson Repertory Theatre co-founder Tori Scoles. Dennis said he hopes people enjoy the latest production and that more people get involved with the local theater company. “I hope they’re just entertained and amazed that something of that quality is here in Patterson,” he said. To reach Jonathan Partridge at the Irrigator, call 892-6187 or e-mail him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
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