By Odin Rasco

By now, Stephen King and many of his works require no introduction—between the books themselves and the many film adaptations born from his ideas, people have at least, through cultural osmosis, come to know that King is a master of the horror genre. 

One aspect of his style common to many of his works is his impeccable pacing, setting the narrative on a slow but steady progression that builds the tension to extremes. That kind of pressure-cooker horror is on full display at The Sofia through Feb. 15 with a truly fantastic staging of King’s story “Misery.”

B Street Theatre is kicking off its 40th season with a stage adaptation of the King classic crafted by William Goldman; known for works including “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and “The Princess Bride.” 

The show is appropriately timed to the season, with the cold nights a perfect complement to a story that opens with severe winter weather leading to a car accident that puts acclaimed novelist Paul Sheldon, played by Jason Kuykendall, in the care of his obsessive fan Annie Wilkes, played by Elisabeth Nunziato. 

The two leads—with a short visit from director John Lamb playing Sheriff Buster—carry the story with incredible skill, working off one another’s energy so seamlessly that it was little surprise to learn that the two are married in real life.

Those who follow my theater coverage will know I was eager to see this show, which made it to my most-anticipated list for 2026. I can happily report that I was completely satisfied by the show—the sets, sounds, performances and direction all bring impressive quality that I’ve come to expect from a B Street show. 

Before the show had even begun, and again during intermission, it was hard not to hear the multitude of comments from those seated around me remarking on how beautifully done the set is; it looks as though the outer wall and roof have been literally torn off of a house, affording the audience a view into Wilkes’ home. The small touch of leaving a hint of the outer wall and hemming in the action of the play lends to the claustrophobic nature of the narrative.

A surprise addition to this staging of “Misery” is an original score by Marjorie Gast, whose brilliant work emphasizes the ratcheting tension on stage perfectly. I loved the music so much, I had to ask the box office attendant if there was a way I could get a copy.

I don’t have the column space to fully lay out every element of the performances I loved, but both leads deserve as ample praise as can be given. Kuykendall’s performance of Paul Sheldon brings the desperation and fear of a man trapped at the mercy of an unhinged keeper. Adding to that, his physicality and exclamations of pain—understandable, given that Paul’s legs are in terrible shape or worse throughout the story—were so evocative, I found myself wincing in sympathy repeatedly. 

Nunziato, taking on the storied role of Annie Wilkes, was faced with a challenge right out of the gate—the role has been so defined by Kathy Bates in the 1990 film, it’s a task to find a read on the character that feels authentic and also original. Nunziato pulls it off, finding a gleefully unhinged version of Annie that exists outside of Bates’ shadow but feels just as fully-realized.

Before I close this review out, there is one small piece of direction I have to applaud for how subtly it illustrated the developing dynamic between Paul and Annie. Every time Annie leaves Paul’s room, she leaves the door just slightly open; this repeats, every time, until the moment they have their first fight, and Annie slams the door fully shut. It’s this punctuation to the storytelling that marks the descent into terror, and I think it shows the attention that was placed on all aspects of a show that I can’t recommend seeing enough.

“Misery” runs through Feb. 15, with tickets available at bstreettheatre.org.

This story was funded by the City of Sacramento’s Arts and Creative Economy Journalism Grant to Solving Sacramento. Following our journalism code of ethics and protocols, the city had no editorial influence over this story and no city official reviewed this story before it was published. Our partners include California Groundbreakers, CapRadio, Hmong Daily News, Russian America Media, Sacramento Business Journal, Sacramento News & Review and Sacramento Observer. Sign up for our “Sac Art Pulse” newsletter here.