Towle Theater Executive Director Emily Nelson describes the final bow for the Hammond stage’s 24th season as “a ticket to gripping suspense.”
The 120-seat live performance venue has mounted a new production of author Stephen King’s “Misery,” which Nelson bills as “a tale of obsession, desperation, and what happens when fandom turns deadly.”
The “Misery” stage adaptation was written by William Goldman, who also did the screenplay for the 1990 film adaptation, all closely based on the novel by Stephen King.
The Towle production is directed by Jim LaPietra. Both LaPietra and Nelson were guests on my Tuesday morning “OfNotoriety” weekly radio show on WJOB 1230 AM in Hammond.
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“Misery” opens Sept. 25 and runs through Oct. 11 with performances at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays.
This small three- or four-person play is a gripping psychological thriller that explores obsession, control, and the terrifying consequences of fandom when it crosses boundaries.
After a devastating car accident, successful novelist Paul Sheldon wakes in the secluded woods home of Annie Wilkes, a former nurse and his self-proclaimed “number one fan.” What at first seems like a fortunate rescue takes a dark and dangerous turn.
Making their Towle debuts are Kyle Cassady of Bourbonnais, Illinois, as the town sheriff, Guy Sullivan of Roselle, Illinois, as author Paul Sheldon, and Tammy White of Woodridge, Illinois, as nurse Annie Wilkes.
Director LaPietra said he had a difficult time locating the ideal old-fashioned typewriter for the play’s key focal point prop.
“The dilemma is the typewriter has to look heavy, but it can’t be heavy since it needs to be picked up and moved so much,” LaPietra said.
“But our search paid off, and we found the perfect prop typewriter for our scenes.”
Nelson said “Misery” has been a popular production around Northwest Indiana and the Midwest in recent years.
Chicago Street Theatre did the play in October 2022, a month after the Barn Theatre’s production in Augusta, Michigan, in September 2022 starring soap opera actress Kim Zimmer playing obsessed fan Annie. Last summer, Director Linda Fortunato, formerly the artistic director at Theatre at the Center in Munster, did a run of “Misery” for the 90th season at Peninsula Players outdoor theater space in beautiful Door County, Wisconsin, and Dunes Summer Theatre in Michigan City also did a sold-out run of the play in May 2025, directed by John Hancock and starring ABC-Chicago Channel 7 newscaster Janet Davies as the author-obsessed fan.
“I’m not trying to make comparisons, but our production will definitely take an approach away from campy to be very dark and compelling,” Nelson said.
Tickets are $30 in advance and $35 at the door, and reservations must be paid for in advance, with all ticket sales non-refundable and non-exchangeable. Group rates are available, and the box office opens one hour before performance time. There is no late seating, so patrons are asked to arrive no later than 15 minutes before curtain. Guests who arrive after curtain will not be seated until intermission.
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The Towle Theater is located in downtown Hammond at 5205 Hohman Ave. Parking is now available in front of the building on Hohman Avenue as well as the gravel lot located on Sibley. For more information, call 219-937-8780 or visit www.towletheater.org.
Philip Potempa is a journalist, published author and weekly radio host on WJOB 1230 AM. He can be reached at [email protected].