Theatreworks lights up the stage with two actors at the top of their game in the Turn of the Screw

Two actors, five characters, one simple prop and simply exquisite lighting converge to deliver an intriguing mystery not to be missed. Running through April 6 at the Colorado Springs Ent Center, this Theatreworks production of Turn of the Screw will have you spinning in this cryptic tale set in 19^th century England.

Published in 1898 as a classic ghost tale by Henry James, the story tells like those with the flashlight under your chin at summer camp — but way better! Annie Barbour plays the naive governess, hired to caretake two orphaned children taken in by their wealthy bachelor uncle.

But things are not what they seem at the isolated manor. There are titillating tales around the disappearance of the former governess and valet and their illicit love affair. Their ghosts emerge to wreak havoc, and horrible truths come to light.

Bradley Allan Zarr exudes a creepy brand of charm in his portrayal of the benevolent uncle, narrating the story at its open and close. This framed narrative fits the horror genre well as a story within a story that adds unforeseen complexities.

Barbour holds the stage for all 75 minutes of the play with a volume of lines that are well-spoken but onerously abundant. Navigating the 360-degree stage with ease, she speaks her thoughts, her diary entries and to the ghosts she sees at every turn.

Turn of the Screw is Barbour’s third play with Theatreworks. She was seen previously in The Taming of the Shrew and Measure for Measure. With a BFA from Webster’s Sargent Conservatory in St. Louis, MO, Barbour works as a teaching artist with the Denver Center’s Education Department and Denver School of the Arts. She also lit up the stage last year at the Arvada Center as a vampire hunter in Dracula: A Feminist Revenge Fantasy, Really.

Annie Barbour and Bradley Allan Zarr in the Theatreworks production of ‘The Turn of the Screw.’ | Photo: Isaiah Downing.

Barbour’s command of Victorian speak is impressive but laborious. She does the script justice, but it may be overkill to some patrons. What defines her performance is her plausible decent into paranoia and hysteria – but has she gone mad? Here is where Turn intrigues as it leaves the audience to render final judgement.

Zarr pivots between five characters seamlessly. We meet him first as the haughty aristocratic uncle, narrating the story amid a ghostly amber light. He whisks into the shadows offstage to reappear as the elderly housekeeper spewing gossip with a cockney accent. Soon his hand guides a small invisible child, the young Flora. Minutes later he assumes the otherworldly persona of the older boy, Miles, who drips manor secrets in small lethal doses.

A first timer at Theatreworks, Zarr is a graduate of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City. Performing with national tours he has appeared in The Drowsy Chaperone, Spamalot, Catch Me If You Can and most recently Bullets Over Broadway. His versatility is a strength and key to pulling off multiple and diverse characters in this challenging play.

Stagecraft takes center stage in Turn of the Screw. Accolades to Director Kristin Skye Hoffman, a Theatreworks newcomer, and her creative team. The hue changes, gradually and then suddenly. Eerie sounds roar and then quiet from all corners of the theatre. A single bench adorns the small stage, easily shifting from garden seat, to bed, to an imaginary piano. Costuming is spot-on Victorian, colors working in perfect harmony with the light. Even the governess’ prim bun unravels as her hysteria grows. Every detail is harmoniously interconnected.

The play’s title is a metaphor of torture in the Inquisition era: Each turn of the screw makes a bad thing worse. The actors achieve a credible build of psychological pressure. We are with her as the governess sees demonic possession in the children.

Powered by strong acting and stagecraft, Turn succeeds with this carefully crafted synergy of words and illusion. What might be a laughable sleeper by lesser actors and shoddy stagecraft, is perfected start to finish in this fine Theatreworks production.

Has the governess truly lost it or is she noble and self-sacrificing in her quest to save the children. Warning: the ambiguity may drive you mad as our collective want of clarity is left unfulfilled. I’d suggest hitting  the pub for a pint (or two) post-show and reach your own verdict — a little extra mental bang to add to the experience!