The Elevator by
Nother Audio wasn’t quite what I was expecting.
The tagline—“Once in a while you will meet strange devices, those whoyou have no control over, but those who quite possibly have control over you”—suggested
to me we were in the neighborhood of The
Twilight Zone, and as I had in my head images of a recent Doctor Who story of dread with an
elevator from the early years of the 20th century, I geared myself
up for such a story. Even the music
suggested some tragedy with the elevator was going to occur. Instead, it was a historical piece that never
really came together for me.
The protagonists of the piece are Irish-American brother and
sister Mary (Stephanie Davis) and Cedric (Seth Jones). They go to the palatial apartment residence
of Sally (Nicole Wilkes), a painter who makes sandwiches (?!), for financial
help. And then . . . not much
happens. I thought surely, even if the
elevator isn’t sinister, all the meat that Sally needed delivered from the
restaurant downstairs was going to hint at something dark. Even the presence of the narrator (Glenn
Hascall) led me to believe there was something wrong here.
The piece is set some time during the first decades of the
20th century—I wasn’t quite clear on this, as it’s the first time
Mary and Cedric have encountered an elevator, though it’s remarked that they
are fairly commonplace. (Coincidentally
I had been doing research into elevators and lifts. The first electric elevator was installed in
the US in 1889 but elevators in apartment buildings of less than 3 floors were not commonplace until the 1970s.) The story is also, unfortunately, let down by
its performances. The two leads are pleasant
enough but can’t control their Irish accents.
In my opinion, they just should have done without.
I suppose I should have really looked at the fact that Nother
Audio specializes in family-friendly audio to realize that nothing particularly
bad was going to happen.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteFirstly, it's not entirely easy to find voice actors, and especially genuine Irish ones.
ReplyDeleteThe voice actors mention 1925 ('25) as something in the future (when trains would be put in), and motor cars were on the road so certainly not referring to 1825 (all of the music that sounds "old" is period correct as well).
I'm not sure how much you have payed attention, but it is never mentioned elevators were commonplace (I even double-checked the script). In fact, the narrator says "As the elevator had been in existence for more than fifty years, it wasn’t necessarily a "new" technological advancement,however most buildings hadn’t had them because they were built pre-invention."
The building Sally was living in was essentially for the elite and well-to-do. Sally paints, but doesn't want to sell her art and she makes sandwiches not as a living, but as a way to keep her apartment.
Lastly, there is something not altogether sinister with the elevator, but more supernatural. If you notice, Mary always trips when she enters the elevator when she is holding any beverage. At the end, she dies in the elevator.
ReplyDelete
Sorry for the late reply.
ReplyDeleteI understand it's difficult to find voice actors.
I think I may have simply misinterpreted the play's intentions by expecting it to be spooky (though you have noted its supernatural links).
I would certainly like to hear more from Nother. What would you recommend?