A trio of brand-new horror tales is burrowing into Pawtucket this week as Burbage Theatre Co. opens the world premiere of James Lucy's “Witching Hour: Secret Cellar,” the third chapter in Lucy's ongoing anthology series. The show runs for eight performances only, from today through November 1, at the company's intimate Wendy Overly Studio Theatre.
Lucy wrote the horror stories and Jeff Church directs the production, according to WJAR. Lucy and Church both joined the station's Mario for an interview ahead of the run. The eight-performance run stretches from October 22 through November 1.
Burbage Theatre Co. is located at 59 Blackstone Avenue in Pawtucket, a detail corroborated by the company's own ticketing listing on burbagetheatreco.ludus.com. The venue itself is part of the draw: the company's website describes its home as holding just seventy-seven seats, with “no bad seat in the house.” That scale keeps the anthology's scares close to the audience, alongside the company's ensemble-based, actor-driven approach.
A Series With Momentum
“Secret Cellar” doesn't arrive out of nowhere. Burbage's own website flags the show as a special Halloween event and a world premiere, continuing a pattern the company has leaned into in recent years. The anthology format itself has history at Burbage: the previous installment, “Witching Hour Social Club,” used audio cassettes to introduce a rotating set of ghost stories performed by the ensemble, as described in a review from the Boston Globe. That earlier production, directed by Allison Crews, ran through Nov. 2 with tickets priced at $35 plus fees.
The anthology's return wasn't a surprise to regular Burbage audiences. “Witching Hour Social Club” had done extremely well the year before it came back, according to a turnto10.com report on the company's decision to revive the anthology once again. That track record helps explain why Burbage has now moved forward into a third chapter in the Witching Hour series rather than a one-off encore.
What's Verified, What Isn't
A Halloween Tradition The production is staged in the same cozy Pawtucket studio theater that has become something of a Halloween tradition for local audiences.
