Tim Machin, Sophie Schade, and Chris O’Neill in The Monkey’s Paw. Photo by Memo Calderon.
Twas a dark and stormy night, but inside a cozy home isolated from town Sarah Davies is playing chess with her father, Jeremiah, while her mother, Bethany, knits in front of the fire beaming with pride over how clever their daughter is, and the sweet relationship of gentle ribbing and friendly competition that has grown lovingly between father and daughter. They are waiting for their company to arrive, although they are unsure whether their guests will be able to make it down the muddy path in such a storm. They are relatively happy, quietly successful folks who have no idea that it is a malevolent force that brings their friends to the door. This is the beginning of Ken Schwartz’s adaptation of W.W. Jacobs’ 1902 story The Monkey’s Paw, now playing at Ross Creek Centre for the Arts until August 15th, 2026.
This play, like the short story it is based on, is not very long, but it doesn’t take long for audiences to feel affinity for Sophie Schade’s Sarah, a modern young woman for her time (early in the 19th Century), who is emboldened to speak her mind freely with both her loving father, and her earnest younger brother, Edgar. We meet Edgar, played by Sam Vigneault, most when the Morrises arrive, and he is both full of dreams for the future, but also filled with immense gratitude and sensitivity for the world currently around him. Chris O’Neill and Tim Machin as Bethany and Jeremiah, are loving, warm, doting parents at a time when that was certainly not always the case.
At first when Josiah and Abigail Morris arrive, played by Hugh Ritchie and Lily Falk, they fit into the cozy home as well. They have been away in India where they have been diplomats, and eventually a darkness comes over them as they come to the reason for their visit. Ritchie and Falk do an excellent job of turning cold on a dime, and for me I was filled with curiosity about what had happened to them to make them behave this way. It is Jeremiah Davies who is the most eager to inherit the strange mummified monkey paw Josiah and Abigail have brought with them. While not greedy by any stretch of the imagination, Jeremiah seems to be the person in the family most enticed by the idea of having three wishes granted. The rest of the family are quicker to be either dismissive or disinterested in it. Even Becca Guilderson’s Rebecca Jacobs, a member of the close-knit community where the Davies live, who arrives later seems altered by the spell of the paw.
The sound design and music by Allen Cole is very evocative in this production, built largely around the themes of chimes and clock chimes in particular. We also hear the great wind throughout to give us a clear sense of the storming outside. For The Wind Coming Over the Sea Diego Cavedon Dias has done a lovely job of creating understated historically appropriate clothing for the characters to wear. In The Monkey’s Paw, while certainly historically inspired, they showcase their creativity. The Davies family are dressed in multiple layers- cinched in with belts and buckles- overtop bits of cranberry/magenta patchwork fabric mixed with more muted tones. The concept, like the play itself, invites contemplation, but the belts and buckles especially seem representative of the time and the themes in the play.
I wouldn’t characterize this production as scary in that you likely won’t feel afraid as you sit in the audience (even in the dark), but it is an interesting mixture of both creepy and sad, and, as Ken Schwartz writes in his Playwright’s Note in the programme the concept of Fate in Jacobs’ story is what is frightening. I think the audience might judge Jeremiah a little bit for not disposing of the paw given that he heard about and saw first hand what happened to the other two recipients of it- but at the same time, it is deeply human for him to convince himself that he and his family will be different. But, as Schwartz points out, this play isn’t at all about retribution, or folks who deserve to be punished- it is about Fate doling out cruel consequences for even daring to rise a mite from your current lot in life.
The themes in this play seem to connect for me with those of the concept of the “Protestant Worth Ethic,” which values “diligence, discipline, and frugality,” and also connects to the idea of rigid class systems with little to no social mobility. Even the idea of being able to wish yourself into a better circumstance would in many cases be scoffed at as being counter to the diligence and discipline required both to succeed financially on your own hard work (pull yourself up by your bootstraps), and also the fortitude required to accept one’s circumstance, and not even waste time hoping for better. The Monkey’s Paw highlights the absurdity of these doctrines, especially by a contemporary standard. If faerie tales were meant to show children the grim realities of a cruel world in order to scare them into ascribing to both their parents’ rules and those of the greater community lest they to meet with a grisly end, The Monkey’s Paw sort of works in reverse. Instead of imposing society’s morals, values, and laws Jacobs and Schwartz are encouraging audiences to look critically and to be skeptical about whether this is the attitude we want to subscribe to when it comes to being given a financial break, or being given a gift for free.
The play builds gradually and then ends quite abruptly, just like the story it was based on, and I think that this pacing is intentional because both Jacobs and Schwartz are encouraging the audience to get snapped out of the story they have been engrossed in to reflect upon what they have just seen. While jarring, it is a very effective last minute Brectian effect that makes the ending very memorable. Chess is built around strategy and skill, and we see the methodical, intellectual contemplation of Sarah and Jeremiah at the beginning of the play. But life is much more random and chaotic, and it can push people into making the most desperate and unhinged of wishes.
Two Planks and a Passion’s production of The Monkey’s Paw, adapted by Ken Schwartz, runs until August 15th, 2026. Performances for this show run on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Tickets range in price from $15.90 for children, $26.50 for Artists/Underwaged Folks/Students and $$37.10 for General Admission. For more information or to book your tickets please visit this website.
Ross Creek Centre for the Arts is wheelchair accessible, and there is a golf cart available for those who may need help moving around the outdoor space. Please let the staff know when booking your tickets if you need wheelchair accessible seating or will require the golf cart. Sunscreen and bug spray and dressing in layers is advised for all theatre patrons. For more information about what to expect when you arrive at Ross Creek please visit this website.
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