Moonstone Theatre has returned to the stage after a two-and-a-half-year hiatus. The current production is “Deceived,” a welcome adaptation of Patrick Hamilton’s “Gaslight.” By a happy coincidence, the show is playing at the Gaslight Theatre.
Hamilton’s play premiered in England in 1938. The classic thriller was renamed “Angel Street” for its 1941 Broadway production, but the original title was retained for famous 1944 film adaptation starring Greta Garbo, Charles Boyer, Joseph Cotton, and Angela Lansbury.
The title of “Gaslight” is the source of the word “gaslighting,” which was chosen as the 2022 Word of the Year by the dictionary publisher, Merriam-Webster. It defines the word as “the act or practice of grossly misleading someone especially for one’s own advantage.” On its website, the company noted, “2022 saw a 1740% increase in lookups for gaslighting, with high interest throughout the year.”
Hamilton’s original play has fallen from favor because its main female character, Bella, is a passive victim who must be rescued from her husband Jack’s pernicious deception by an avuncular retired police detective named Rough.
In “Deceived,” playwrights Johnna Wright and Patty Jamieson address the shortcomings of Hamilton’s “Rough” draft by eliminating Rough and giving agency to Bella, who saves herself without a man’s help.
Moonstone delivers a fine account of “Deceived” under the well-conceived direction of the Sharon Hunter, the company’s founder and producing artistic director. Christina Yancy captures Bella’s confusion and anxiety while being gaslighted and her heroic resolve after discovering Jack’s skulduggery. Aaron Orion Baker plausibly impersonates a concerned but exasperated husband as Jack carries out his deception. Cooper Shaw as Elizabeth and Rhiannon Skye Creighton as Nancy turn in characterful portrayals of the servants.
The play’s Victorian setting and its ominous atmosphere are evoked impressively by Theresa Dogget’s costumes, Kathryn Stepanek’s scenic design, Ethan Steimel and Eve Garty’s lighting, Dennis Milam Bensie’s wigs, Katie Orr’s props, Amanda Werre’s sound, and Tobias Reynolds’ scenic art.
“Deceived” continues through October 25 at the Gaslight Theatre, 358 North Boyle Avenue.
—Gerry Kowarsky, 2026
