Misery: A Story Told Three Ways: The Novel, The Film, The Play

If one of Stephen King’s constant readers were to imagine what haunts their favorite author’s dreams at night, one might come up with a story like Misery. For those who have not “experienced” Misery, by way of the novel, the film or (most recently in Jackson, TN) the incredible stage adaptation, Misery follows the rescue, imprisonment and torture of genre novelist Paul Sheldon by his number one fan, Annie Wilkes.  Unsurprisingly, all three versions of this gripping tale follow the same main story beats, though there are some notable differences.

As Stephen King tells the story of Misery’s creation, he dreamed of Annie Wilkes following reader reactions to his 1984 novel, The Eyes of the Dragon. By the time The Eyes of the Dragon was released, the modern “Master of the Macabre” was well-known horror fictionnovelist. Many of King’s most ardent fans were vocally disappointed to find that this latest novel was an epic fantasy story. It lacked the horrific, supernatural elements that were prominently featured in his previous novels. Misery’s hero, Paul Sheldon, seems to be a fittingautobiographical representation of King himself. He is stuck writing the genre of novels his fans want, but he desires the freedom to explore other worlds and stories outside the confines of the box his success has imprisoned him in. In fact, when we first meet our hero, Paul, in the novel or film, we find him in Colorado having just finished his new far more literary novel. Paul leaves the safety of his writer’s retreat, manuscript in hand, and sets out on a drive just as a monster storm is setting in. The novel and the play suggest that Annie caused Paul’s accident so that she could rescue him, but if the movie is to be believed, Annie was just in the right place at the right time to be able to perform a miraculous rescue.

Whether unable or unwilling to take Paul to the hospital, Annie brings him home and nurses him herself. Fortunately, Annie was a nurse by trade, so Paul is in capable hands. She splints his broken legs and starts treating his pain with some heavy painkillers.  It’s at this point that the play throws us into the action. In the play we meet our main characters Paul and Anniefor the first time following his accident. It’s also about this point where we meet another player in our story, this one goes by the name of Novril (a heavy painkiller). Novril is almost a character in the novel, its power and force are seen when Paul’s addiction imprisons him as completely as Annie. Addiction as a prison is a metaphor often explored in King’s storytelling, as it’s one that the author himself has struggled to gain his freedom from.  Of the differences between the three versions of this story, how Paul’s addiction is addressed is the most profound. In the novel, the reader sees the addiction develop in response to consuming pain. The reader witnesses how Annie threatens and manipulates Paul with her control over his access to his medication and we are caught up with Paul as he fights to overcome this addiction when he realizes how destructive it has become. Just as Paul fears for his life from Annie’s madness, Paul must overcome his addiction. Both have the power to destroy him completely.  It’s unfortunate that the film and theatrical production do not take the opportunity to explore the destructive nature of addiction, but tough choices need to be made when adapting novels for the screen and stage.

In all three versions of the story, once Annie has compelled Paul to destroy his latest novel, she provides for him the tools and opportunity to bring Misery back to life in a new novel in her honor.  Like Scheherazade and the 1001 nights before him, Paul quickly realizes that the telling of Misery’s next story is what may keep him alive for at least a while longer. The novel explores the writing of this new story by including several excerpts of the new book within the novel itself (handwritten in “n’s” and all).  I wish the theatrical versions had found a way to explore this a little more. Maybe having the main actors play characters from the new Misery novel and acting out some of the action as we hear the typing of the story in the background.  This would have probably been too distracting for the main story, but as an actor, it sure would have been fun!

Also, in each of the versions of our story, Paul takes advantage of several opportunities to get out of his room and explore Annie’s house.  In the novel and film, these excursions illuminate Annie’s serial killer history and ramp up Paul’s legitimate fear for his life. We feel this foreboding weight on both main characters as Paul gets closer to finishing his book.  When Annie realizes that Paul has been leaving his room, the pressure that has been building must be realized. Which brings us to “that scene,” you know the one, even if you’ve not read the book, seen the film or the play, you’re probably at least familiar with this scene as it’s impacted our culture to such a degree.  This is the scene where Annie “hobbles” Paul, breaking his ankles with a sledgehammer.  The book plays out a little differently, Annie hobbles Paul by cutting off one of his feet with an axe.  Unfortunately for novel Paul, this isn’t the only amputation he suffers.  When Paul refuses to tell Annie how the story ends, she cuts off his thumb with an electric knife. 

Buster, small town sheriff, would-be hero, is a character created for the film and play. He does not appear in the novel. While there is a law enforcement contingent in the novel that is searching for Paul, there isn’t a specific character that embodies the search. In the film, we get to spend some time with Buster, a country Colombo who is on the case to solve the disappearance of the big city author. At the climax of the story, as Paul is finishing the novel, the law catches on to Annie’s suspicious behavior.  In the novel, a state trooper is the one to figure out what’s going on, Annie dispatches him by running over him with a riding lawnmower.  In the film and play, Buster is so close to saving Paul, but Annie beats him to the punch with a well-timed shotgun blast.  Though Buster may not have been able to save Paul, his inclusion is an improvement over the original novel by grounding the events within the real world. Through Buster, we learn of the efforts to find Paul by the people who miss him and the various agencies responsible for the search. Through Buster, we see how Annie appears to the rest of the community. Through Buster, we see the result of underestimating Annie, and we are better able to understand the life and death stakes at the center of Paul and Annie’s relationship.

Misery, the novel, was published in 1987. It was the first winner of the Bram Stoker Award for best novel and reached number four on the New York Times Bestseller List.  Misery was adapted for film in 1990, the screenplay was written by William Goldman, the movie was directed by Rob Reiner and starred Kathy Bates and James Caan.  Kathy Bates won the 1991 Academy Award for Best Actress for her turn as Annie Wilkes.  William Goldman adapted his screenplay for the stage which first opened on Broadway in 2015 with Bruce Willis and Laurie Metcalf starring.  Misery was most recently performed in Jackson, TN directed by Alfred Custer, with Danielle Bennett, Eric Bundy and Shane Wofford starring.  I had the pleasure of acting as an understudy for this production, along with Krista Mergen and Clint Garig. Previously, I had not had the experience of acting as an understudy or with an understudy and one of the elements I so enjoyed about this production was the differences between our shows.  Same script, same director, same fight choreography, same general blocking.  All these similarities and yet the shows put on by the main cast and the understudy cast were quite different.  This truly is the magic of the theater, how a cast performs together and how that performance is impacted by the audience is always unique. What a blessing to share that stage, such a pleasure to share those moments, thankful for these opportunities “here at home” in Jackson, Tennessee.

- Chad Carlson