Review: ICT Rep’s "Gaslight" Delivers a Slow-Burning Victorian Thriller

Breaking news to your phone. US mobile only. No password required.

Broadway + NYC

Broadway

Off-Broadway

Off-Off Broadway

Cabaret

Dance

Opera

Classical Music

West End / UK

International

Canada

Australia / New Zealand

Europe

Asia

Latin America

Africa / Middle East

Entertainment

Ctrl + K to open · Esc to close

This thrilling production runs through October 11th

Most Popular

Get all the top news & discounts for Wichita & beyond. No password required.

ICT Rep’s production of Gaslight, directed by James Earlywine, is a slow-burning thriller that gets under your skin, thanks to its crumbling Victorian house, deliberate pacing, and a cast that pulls us right into Bella’s growing uncertainty. The show runs from October 2-11 at Oliver Place.

Get all the top news & discounts for Wichita & beyond.

Gaslight is a Victorian thriller by Steven Dietz , based on the original play by Patrick Hamilton . The story has been turned into several movies, the most famous of which was the 1944 version directed by George Cukor , starring Charles Boyer , Ingrid Bergman , Joseph Cotten , and Angela Lansbury ’s screen debut. It had seven Academy Award Nominations and two wins.

The title, of course, has been verbed and adopted as the actual term for the type of manipulation it so expertly illustrates. The term “gaslighting” isn’t just about a person lying; it is a nuanced and insidious type of emotional abuse that plants doubt in the minds of the victims. This manipulation pushes the victim to mistrust their own perception of reality, to question the validity of their own thoughts. That’s exactly what happens between Jack and Bella in this play.

Newlyweds Bella and Jack Manningham seem happy at first glance, but the cracks start to show quickly. Bella, it seems, has a habit of misplacing things without any memory of doing so. She fears this is the beginning of the insanity that took her mother’s life. Jack goes out every evening to cope with his wife’s instability, but while he is out, Bella hears footsteps in the locked and unused third floor. Curiously, the gaslights dim, indicating that other lights are turned on elsewhere in the home. Are the footsteps real or mere figments of Bella’s delusions? But one night, Inspector Rough arrives to speak with Bella, revealing terrible theories about Jack’s past, and terrible danger in Bella’s future.

Even before I took my seat, I was impressed by the set, designed by Dr. Julie Longhofer. The venue is a repurposed church, so the stage has a high, vaulted ceiling instead of a proscenium and wings. Last year’s ICT Rep production of Amadeus, in the same space, had a very minimal set. But for Gaslight , the space is transformed into a stately Victorian house with walls reaching up toward the peaked ceiling, growing more distressed until crumbling plaster reveals wooden lath. The home’s deterioration mirrors Bella’s mental state, and also provides a clever window into the wardrobe at the side of the stage.

Julie Longhofer introduced the performance with a disclaimer of sorts. The three lead roles had to be recast at the last minute, and they had only been rehearsing together in those roles for nine days. If she hadn’t told us of their time crunch, I wouldn’t have known. I only clocked one fumbled line (someone said the wrong name) but they covered so smoothly that I almost didn’t notice. I have seen performances weeks into a run that were less polished than this cast.

In the center of all the drama, Chelsie Penner portrays Bella with such doe-eyed earnestness that we’re on her side from the start, building a foundation of empathy on which to let this story slowly simmer.

And simmer it does. This cast navigates the inexorable crescendo patiently, relentlessly.

Anthony Larkin-Valdez, as the antagonist Jack, plays threatening malice so effectively that by the end, my muscles were in knots and I wanted to rush the stage and do him harm. With a role like this, an actor could easily fall into the trap of one-note cruelty, but Larkin-Valdez brought enough charisma to make Jack seem truly and deeply vile. After all, it’s more chilling when a seemingly nice man turns villainous.

Diane Tinker Hurst’s Elizabeth is a quiet pillar of strength, anchoring the audience to reality even as Bella is pushed farther from it.

I don’t know what led to the last-minute recasting, but how fortunate that it gave us stage manager Abby Lowe as Nancy, the household’s spirited young maid. She’s a bit of a wildcard–sometimes conniving, sometimes cheeky, always direct. It keeps the audience guessing about her allegiance. Lowe’s delightfully nonchalant delivery balances out the big feelings happening elsewhere.

And of course Inspector Rough, played by Linda McDonald, is the driving force that pushes Bella to confront her demons. The program notes give a nice explanation of the history of male impersonators in theater and ICT Rep’s intentional decision to cast Rough as a pants role. The role and its casting aren’t leveraged for laughs (aside, perhaps, from some conspicuously large mutton chops). McDonald plays the role with urgency and conviction, making Inspector Rough an advocate, not a hero.

Stan Longhofer’s lighting design helped bring the stage to life, with cues that put us inside Bella’s growing distress. And of course, what would Gaslight be without realistic gaslights? The sound design, by Kirk Longhofer, enhanced the action without ever pulling us out of it. Costumes, by the multi-talented Julie Longhofer, were beautiful and appropriate to both the time period and the characters. I particularly appreciated that Bella’s bustle was slightly off-kilter and her hair was awry and unkempt compared to everyone else’s tidy coifs. It was a subtle visual cue to Bella’s unraveling state of mind, even from the start. Close attention to detail on the tech side elevated the production and created a cohesive whole.

Though there are moments of levity, this play is not lighthearted. As the website and program warn, it contains themes of deliberate emotional cruelty, so if that is something that will upset you, perhaps it’s best to skip this one. (Next up in ICT Rep’s season is Red Velvet , running November 12-22.)

ICT Rep’s production of Gaslight runs October 2-11 at Oliver Place, 2512 N. Oliver. There are only a few performances left of this thriller, so get your tickets soon! Shows are at 7:30 p.m. October 9th and 10th with a matinee at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday October 11th. Tickets can be purchased online at https://ICTRep.org

Nominate your favorite local productions and performers before the deadline on October 31, 2026.

To post a comment, you must register and login .

Exclusive: THE SOUND OF MUSIC Tour Star Cayleigh Capaldi Performs the Title Song

Previews: GASLIGHT at ICT Rep At Oliver Place

Previews: IX’TICHA** SPIDER-GOD OF THE AMAZON!! at Kechi Playhouse

Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Director Kelli Finglass Will Join CHICAGO on Broadway

Also text me

When are you seeing ?

Get an Alert Each Time Jessica Lada Writes

BroadwayWorld TV

Breaking Broadway news and show discounts. No password required.

Breaking Broadway news on your phone. US mobile numbers only.

POPULAR

Sign up for announcements and exclusive discounts on tickets to your favorite shows!

© 2026 — Copyright Wisdom Digital Media , all rights reserved. Privacy Policy

Episode

_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/wichita/article/Review-GASLIGHT-at-ICT-Rep-at-Oliver-Place-20261007)._