# Misery (play)

Stephen King's 1987 novel Misery has been adapted as a play several times, notably by Simon Moore and William Goldman, who also wrote the 1990 film.

## Characters and casts

| Production | Writer/Translator | Annie Wilkes | Paul Sheldon | Sheriff Buster |
| Criterion Theatre (1992–93) | Simon Moore | Sharon Gless | Bill Paterson | — |
| GableStage (2005) | Simon Moore | Lisa Morgan | Stephen G. Anthony | — |
| King's Head Theatre (2005) | Simon Moore | Susan Penhaligon | Michael Praed | — |
| Bucks County Playhouse (2012) | William Goldman | Johanna Day | Daniel Gerroll | James DeMarse |
| Theatre van 't Woord (2014) | Florus Van Rooijen | Marjolein Algera [nl] | Sander de Heer [nl] | — |
| Broadhurst Theatre (2015–16) | William Goldman | Laurie Metcalf | Bruce Willis | Leon Addison Brown |
| Kwadrat Theatre (2017) | William Goldman/Jacek Kaduczak | Ewa Wencel | Piotr Polk | Marcin Pietowski |
| Kuopio City Theatre (2019) | William Goldman/Timo Mikkola | Henna Haverinen | Seppo Pääkkönen | Ari-Kyösti Seppo |
| Tampere Theatre (2019) | William Goldman/Timo Mikkola | Mari Turunen | Esa Latva-Äijö [fi] | Jukka Leisti |
| Pori Theatre (2022) | William Goldman/Timo Mikkola | Mirva Tolppanen | Vesa Haltsonen | Hannu Müller |
| Seinäjoki City Theatre (2025) | William Goldman/Timo Mikkola | Satu Silvo | Reidar Palmgren [fi] | Jukka Puronlahti |

## Simon Moore adaptation

In 1992, Simon Moore wrote and directed a play based on Stephen King's novel Misery. The play premiered in London's Criterion Theatre on December 17, 1992, running for six months. The production starred Sharon Gless as Annie Wilkes and Bill Paterson as Paul Sheldon.
An August 2005 production at the GableStage in Coral Gables, Florida, was directed by Joseph Adler and starred Lisa Morgan and Stephen G. Anthony. In September of the same year, Alan Cohen directed a production at King's Head Theatre, starring Susan Penhaligon and Michael Praed.

## Florus Van Rooijen adaptation

Composer Florus Van Rooijen wrote and directed a musical adaptation of the novel, which premiered in Amsterdam on August 7, 2014. It starred Sander de Heer [nl], Marjolein Algera [nl], Tara Hetharia [nl] (as Misery Chastain), and Buddy Vedder (as Ian Carmichael and Tony Bonasaro).

## William Goldman adaptation

William Goldman's adaptation, created in association with Castle Rock Entertainment, premiered at the Bucks County Playhouse on November 24, 2012. It ran for 11 performances and closed on December 8, 2012. It was directed by Will Frears and starred Daniel Gerroll as Sheldon, Johanna Day as Wilkes, and James DeMarse as Sheriff Buster.
A new version of Goldman's play officially opened at the Broadhurst Theatre on October 22, 2015 and closed on February 16, 2016. This version starred Bruce Willis as Sheldon, Laurie Metcalf as Wilkes, and Leon Addison Brown as Buster. The show ran for 102 performances, grossing $12,518,415 in ticket sales.
Metcalf was nominated for the Best Actress in a Play at the 70th Tony Awards for her performance as Wilkes. Willis's performance as Sheldon was generally panned by critics, who called it "vacant" and "inert". One critic faulted Willis for using an ear piece on the play.

### Translations

Goldman's play was translated into Polish by Jacek Kaduczak and premiered at the Kwadrat Theatre in Warsaw on January 9, 2017. The production was directed by Robert Gliński and starred Ewa Wencel as Wilkes, Piotr Polk as Sheldon, and Marcin Pietowski as Buster.
Timo Mikkola translated Goldman's play into Finnish for a September 2019 production. Piina premiered at Kuopio City Theatre in Kuopio, directed by Olli Matti Oinonen and starring Seppo Pääkkönen as Sheldon, Henna Haverinen as Wilkes, and Ari-Kyösti Seppo as Buster. Since then, Mikkola's translation has been performed in October 2019 by Tampere Theatre in Tampere (directed by Antti Mikkola and starring Mari Turunen, Esa Latva-Äijö [fi], and Jukka Leisti), Pori Theatre in Pori in November 2022 (directed by Tuomo Aitta [fi] and starring Vesa Haltsonen, Mirva Tolppanen, and Hannu Müller), and in February 2025 by Seinäjoki City Theatre in Seinäjoki (directed by Olli-Matti Oinonen, who had previously directed the play at the Kuopio Theatre, and starring Satu Silvo and Reidar Palmgren).