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What if terror didn't leap at you from the shadows, but crept inside your ears with a theatrical wink and a knowing smile? Step into the dim glow of an old-time radio studio, where shadows flicker with playful menace, soundscapes swell with dramatic flair, and a lone voice dares to guide you into the most entertaining kind of madness. With The Whisperer in Darkness, RadioTheatre transforms the theater into an echo chamber of cosmic dread—but this is dread served with a generous helping of theatrical delight, summoning Lovecraft's unnamable horrors not with jump-scares, but with the kind of sonic sorcery that makes you both shiver and grin with appreciation. H. P. Lovecraft, 1930. See page for author, Public domain, via Wikimedia CommonsHow 1950s B-Movie Trailers Set the Perfect Campy Horror ToneBefore Frank Zilinyi utters a single syllable on stage, the production seduces its audience with a vintage overture of pure cinematic nostalgia that sets the perfect campy tone. Projected on screen, a parade of gloriously earnest 1950s sci-fi trailers flickers to life—It Came From Outer Space, Destination Moon, Them!, and The War of the Worlds—each intoned by those wonderfully sonorous, imperial male narrators whose gravitas conjures both Cold War anxiety and delightfully overwrought baritone bravado.These voices—commanding, expert, quasi-presidential—resurrect a media age that dared to explain the cosmos with confident pomposity, even as it quaked beneath mushroom clouds and rubber-suited Martian invasions. It's a brilliantly clever device that immediately signals to the audience: prepare for sophisticated scares wrapped in theatrical fun. By evoking The Outer Limits, The X-Files, and the delicious drive-in paranoia of yesteryear, director Dan Bianchi sets a referential stage where Lovecraft's epistemological vertigo can dance its queasy waltz. At the same time, the audience savors every dramatic flourish. Baseline Drive-in ad. Juine 3, 1953, Highland, CA. Universal-International, Public domain, via Wikimedia CommonsUnder St. Mark's Theater: The Perfect Intimate Venue for Cosmic HorrorThe performance space at Under St. Marks Place in New York's East Village proves that great theater doesn't need grand scale—just grand imagination. With no more than 30 seats, this well-equipped black box becomes a chamber of concentrated theatrical magic. RadioTheatre transforms the intimate space into something that's part ritual, part radio broadcast, and entirely captivating. The surgical lighting and omnipresent sound design create an atmosphere that's genuinely unsettling yet irresistibly entertaining.What Makes This Radio Drama Different: Modern Production Meets Golden Age CraftThis isn't merely a stage play or nostalgic throwback; it's a celebration of theatrical craft at its most ingenious. It's a high-art homage to the tradition of Orson Welles and the Mercury Theatre, where a single voice could shake a nation, and silence could be more thrilling than any special effect. In "The Whisperer in Darkness," the magic unfolds with astonishing minimalism that maximizes impact: Frank Zilinyi stands alone at a microphone, enveloped by atmospheric shadows, while behind him, evocative projections ripple across the screen—mist-wrapped hills, antique phonographs, and the flutter of alien wings.The effect is more suggestive than literal, and that's precisely the point. Like the best 1950s B-movies, it trusts the audience's imagination to fill in the deliciously terrifying details.Frank Zilinyi Performance Review: Channeling Orson Welles in The Whisperer in DarknessAt the heart of this theatrical gem is Professor Albert N. Wilmarth, a scholar of folklore at Miskatonic University who addresses the audience as if they were distinguished members of the New York Psychical Society. Frank Zilinyi's portrayal is nothing short of masterful—a performance that channels the gravitas of Orson Welles while maintaining the theatrical flair that made those classic radio dramas so irresistibly entertaining. Frank Zilinyi as Professor Wilmarth in the Frigid NY/RadioTheatre production of The Whisperer in Darkness at UNDER St. Marks in NYC. Photo courtesy RadioTheatre NYC.Why Zilinyi's Vocal Performance Outshines Modern Horror EffectsWith precise diction and resonant authority, Zilinyi delivers Wilmarth’s chronicle with intimacy and urgency, transforming scholarly exposition into a personal confession and academic detachment into genuinely affecting terror. As Wilmarth's certainty erodes throughout the evening, Zilinyi's vocal performance subtly evolves, shifting from crisp academic cadence to breathless, haunted reflection—yet always with the theatrical awareness that keeps the audience thoroughly engaged rather than genuinely traumatized.He never overplays the horror; instead, he leans into the microphone like a man possessed by truths he can barely contain, yet always maintains that essential theatrical contract with the audience. Zilinyi proves that the human voice—guided by restraint, imagination, and masterful timing—can create more genuine thrills than any CGI monster, while maintaining a thoroughly entertaining experience.Patrick Alberty as Henry Akeley: How Pre-Recorded Performance Creates Live Theater MagicThe reclusive Vermont intellectual Henry Akeley, whose letters first sound the cosmic alarm, becomes a haunting presence through R. Patrick Alberty's ingenious pre-recorded performance. Appearing only via projected video and audio recordings, this multimedia approach amplifies both the otherworldly atmosphere and the theatrical inventiveness of the production.Rather than feeling like a technical limitation, Alberty's recorded interactions with the live Zilinyi create an unsettling yet captivating dynamic. His meticulously timed performance—trembling with fear, calming with false reassurance, finally flattening into eerie serenity—leaves the audience wondering with delicious uncertainty: Is this still the voice of a man, or something that has taken his place?Alberty transforms static footage into a spectral presence that haunts the projection screen and the theater—a ghost communicating through electromagnetic ether with all the theatrical panache of the genre's golden age.Adam Segaller as Bernard Devereaux: The Supporting Cast That Elevates Lovecraft's StoryThough not from Lovecraft's original text, the character of Bernard Devereaux appears to be Dan Bianchi's inspired addition, perhaps as interviewer, narrator, or clinical observer. Adam Segaller brings precise, clipped intensity to the role, portraying Devereaux with the same historical gravitas he's brought to figures like Andrew Carnegie in other RadioTheatre productions.His tone suggests skepticism tinged with bureaucratic menace, leaving the audience to wonder whether Devereaux is documenting Wilmarth's tale or suppressing its implications—a perfectly campy touch that adds layers of intrigue without overwhelming the central narrative. Patrick Alberty as Henry Akeley in the Frigid NY/Radio Theatre production of The Whisperer in Darkness at UNDER St. Marks in NYC. Photo courtesy RadioTheatre NYCThe Sound Design That Makes Horror Theater Work: No Jump Scares, Maximum EntertainmentThere are no cheap jump scares here, no screaming violins or gory visuals—instead, RadioTheatre invites the audience into a collaborative theatrical experience where imagination does the heavy lifting and entertainment value never gets sacrificed for mere shock. The live soundscape—layered with dissonant harmonic intones, howling winds, and expertly timed effects—creates a creeping dread that's as entertaining as it is unsettling.How Dan Bianchi's Direction Transforms Lovecraft for the StageUnder Dan Bianchi's skilled direction, the piece maintains perfect narrative momentum while never losing sight of its theatrical roots. His adaptation skillfully condenses Lovecraft's dense prose into a gripping narrative arc that respects both the source material and the audience's desire for genuine entertainment. The result is not just an homage to Lovecraft, but a revitalization of classic horror as sophisticated performance art.Why Theater of the Mind Beats Modern Horror Movies: The Power of SuggestionThe Whisperer in Darkness succeeds brilliantly as both an auditory séance and a thoroughly engaging theatrical experience. Lovecraft's notoriously "unperformable" prose finds in RadioTheatre its most intimate and entertaining incarnation—proof that the best horror can be both genuinely unsettling and immensely satisfying as theater.In our age of digital spectacle and CGI overload, here's a production that dares to whisper rather than shout, to suggest rather than show—and in doing so, creates an experience that's both more sophisticated and more fun than most contemporary horror offerings.The Whisperer in Darkness Ending: What to Expect Without SpoilersThe denouement, when it comes, is shocking, surprising, and deliciously unspeakable—but always in service of great theater rather than mere sensation. You'll leave dazed and exhilarated, murmuring not just "Was any of it real?" but "When can I see it again?" Alexander Moore's artwork based on H. P. Lovecraft's story The Whisperer in Darkness. Alexander Moore (www.alexdraw.co.uk), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia CommonsShould You See The Whisperer in Darkness? RadioTheatre doesn't merely perform Lovecraft—it celebrates him with the kind of theatrical intelligence and playful sophistication that honors both the cosmic horror tradition and the audience's desire for genuine entertainment. With Frank Zilinyi's magnetic live performance seamlessly integrated with R. Patrick Alberty and Adam Segaller's contributions, the production creates something genuinely special: horror that horrifies, theater that thrills, and an experience that reminds us why live performance, at its best, can be more affecting than any digital effect.Ticket Information and Theater Details for NYC Horror FansWhere: Under St. Mark's Place, East Village, NYCSeating: Intimate 30-seat black box theaterBest For: Theater lovers, horror fans, Lovecraft enthusiasts, radio drama aficionadosThe Bottom Line: A Must-See Horror Theater ExperienceA sonic descent into madness that's as entertaining as it is eerie, The Whisperer in Darkness delivers cosmic horror with theatrical sophistication and campy charm. This is essential viewing for lovers of genuine scares and genuinely great theater—a production that proves the best horror entertainment comes not from what you see, but from what you imagine in the darkness between the words. L-R: Patrick Alberty as Henry Akeley and Frank Zilinyi as Professor Wilmarth in the Frigid NY/Radio Theatre production of The Whisperer in Darkness at UNDER St. Marks in NYC. Photo courtesy RadioTheatre NYCThe Whisperer in DarknessProduced by RadioTheatreCreative TeamDAN BIANCHI: Writer/Director/Music and Sound DesignerWES SHIPPEE: Technical DirectorFRANK ZILINYI: Professor WilmarthPATRICK ALBERTY: Henry AkeleyADAM SEGALLER: VoicesRuntime: 80 minutesJuly 23-27 at UNDER St. Mark's94 St. Mark's Place, New York, NY 10009For tickets and information, go to https://frigid.nyc/ RELATED https://youtu.be/xlJjr31pnZk?si=LREBOOuipaPtWeYv Read the full article