By HANNA WING-BONICA
Pittsburgh’s newest theatre company, The Haunted Theatre Company, allegedly was founded by British theatre producer Erasmus Bartholomew Wicklowe in 1861. The company recently has found a new home in Pittsburgh, led by artistic director Michael McGovern (and a few ghosts).
The company’s first Pittsburgh production, Wine and Spirits, written and directed by McGovern, is a comedy thriller set in the 1940s about the Chambers family who gather at their late Uncle Wallace’s winery for the reading of his will. There’s Guy Chambers (Eddie Kunz) and Judy Chambers, who are very close siblings and writers, as well as Henry Chambers (Jordan Coury), a sommelier and wine critic, and Piper Banks (Nicole Brady), an upcoming movie star, who is a distant cousin. Lastly, there is Mary Ann Chambers (Gina Preciado), a self-proclaimed psychic. The cousins and lawyer Bramwell Tripp (Jon Poli) arrive at the Chambers family wine chateau and are greeted by Uncle Wallace’s servants, Dolores (Mary Randolph) and Rogers (Tom Sarp). The reading of the will becomes a deadly trap, and the Chambers cousins must fight for their lives to survive the night.
While the premise of Wine and Spirits sounds entertaining, the “jokes” are riddled with stereotypes and predictable punchlines. They make fun of the characters’ appearances such as horrific injuries on the faces of Dolores and Rogers, and the suggestion of incest between Guy and Judy is played for laughs.
Unfortunately, the thrills and chills are missing, too. There isn’t anything particularly scary or shocking, which is what you want out of a thriller. Yes, there is a ghost, and the eventual possession of a character, but neither moves the plot along or adds anything of substance to the ghost’s backstory. Instead, the “possessed” character crawls around on stage, loudly saying nursery rhymes. But the ghost story is just one of the horror elements attempted.
McGovern also adds zombies and a murder mystery to the haunting. Suddenly, the play shifts to become meta – a play with should this be within? a play with options for different endings.
The cast is game, but mostly over the top. Horror needs to be believable to make the “unbelievable” come to life.even in a 1940s-set comedy? Is this a farce?
Wine and Spirits is set in the 1940s. While the characters do make references to the 1940s setting (including a shoutout to Greta Garbo), certain production elements do not create the right sense of time and place. The costumes are too modern-looking or seem like they came from a Halloween store. The Chambers Mansion is described as “rundown and faded,” but the set looks fairly new and well put together. There isn’t a speck of dust, cobweb, or even old, torn wallpaper in the room.
The scares in Wine and Spirits are scarce, and the production values lean into the comedy, opting for no makeup for the zombies, eye masks instead of prosthetics for Dolores and Rogers, and no extra blood for knife stabbings. Only the sound effects (when cued correctly), designed by Britt Pierce, provide the right kind of ambiance for a creepy atmosphere, especially the booming ghostly voices, eerie music, and thunderstorm.
Wine and Spirits can’t seem to make up its mind if it wants to be part satire, part horror show, or an all-out comedy, or a horror-thriller with a few jokes. If it had landed on one, that might have been more successful.
Before the play and during intermission, a “ghost,” dressed all in white, quietly roamed, casting her gaze on audience members. This spirit is said to be of the company’s former lead actress, Cecily Waugh, who was one of the founding actors of the company’s first iteration. This has nothing to do with the play, but it’s really cool. One audience member even took a selfie with Cecily.
Perhaps, the lore around The Haunted Theatre Company should be a play itself.
TICKETS AND DETAILS
Wine and Spirits is playing May 7-17, 2026, at the Margaret Partee Performing Arts Center. Tickets available at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wine-and-spirits-2026-haunted-theater-company-opener-tickets
Categories: Arts and Ideas, Reviews
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