`WAIT UNTIL DARK': IMAGINE THE BLIND WOMAN'S TERROR (PLAY REVIEW)

Early in "Wait Until Dark," a dish-throwing temper tantrum by a 9-year-old child terrifies the blind woman she's supposed to be helping around the house. Imagine how the blind woman feels sometime later when she realizes that the voice at the top of her stairs may belong to a murderer.

Imagine how she feels is exactly what "Wait Unil Dark" wants you to do.

Without the aid of close-ups and editing cuts and lighting nuances, the action in the Central High School stage production is not quite as frightening as the ordeal Audrey Hepburn goes through in the movie version. But the tension in the audience still goes up when the lights go down.

Red Dagger Drama Club will present the play at 7:30 tonight and Saturday at the high school auditorium.

Ginny Overholser has the Audrey Hepburn role as Suzy, a part that requires her to act sightless, use her wits and scream in fright with regularity. Overholser does all three with aplomb.

Nick Ryan is the sadistic villain Roat. So far in his acting career, Ryan has played lovably flamboyant characters such as Velasco in "Barefoot in the Park" and Teddy in "Arsenic and Old Lace." In this one he plays it menacingly straight, although the play also gives his character opportunities to impersonate an Italian maitre d' and a crazy old man.

Dax Miller and Adam Davis are good as con men who get mixed up in Roat's scheme to hijack a heroin-filled doll that mistakenly has ended up in Suzy's possession. Davis actually makes his character sympathetic.

Maggie Clark is a treat as 9-year-old brat Gloria, who evolves from tormenter to Suzy's compatriot. For Clark's mother's sake, let's hope that's just good acting.

Jacob Kennedy provides a steady Sam, Suzy's husband.

Trent Redfearn and Tracie Ramage have small roles as police officers who break in at the end.

The play is directed by Cynthia Wyatt with assistance by student director Kelly Hilterbrand. The technical director is Robert Friedrich, and Matt Roark is the stage manager.