Brattleboro hosts one-night only reading of 'The Trouble with Harry'

Residents in Brattleboro have a single opportunity tonight to experience a unique theatrical event centered on a classic film with deep Vermont roots. At 7 p.m. today, October 23, the Latchis Theatre will host a live, unrecorded screenplay reading of Alfred Hitchcock's 1955 movie, The Trouble with Harry. The event is organized by Hollywood, VT, a local series that pairs Vermont-connected films with community discussions.

The cast for tonight's performance includes humorist Tom Bodett, musician and journalist Myra Flynn, Chris Dorman, the creator of Vermont PBS' Mr. Chris and Friends, and Vermont Public host Howard Weiss-Tisman. The production is largely unrehearsed, with the cast having met for only one quick session before going live. Because the reading will not be recorded, the specific performance on stage tonight is a one-time occurrence.

The film itself was shot in 1954 and premiered in 1955, with scenes filmed in Craftsbury, Morrisville, and Stowe. Alia Quart Khan, who created the Hollywood, VT series, described the movie as a macabre romantic comedy about a dead body that characters do not treat with typical reverence. Khan noted that the film has been called a hidden gem and a lost masterpiece by critics, including The Guardian newspaper.

Khan, who moved from Los Angeles to Vermont in 2020, founded the series to bridge her background in the entertainment industry with the local community. She previously worked in publicity for Oscar-winning films such as The Artist, Silver Linings Playbook, and Django Unchained. Her initial six-week pandemic escape in Vermont turned into a six-year residence, leading her to launch On Goldfish Pond Creative, the entity behind the events.

The reading offers audiences a chance to hear the dialogue written by John Michael Hayes, who later taught at Dartmouth College. Khan described the script as sharp and quick, noting that Hitchcock himself cited a line from this film as his favorite. The event encourages attendees to linger after the performance to discuss the experience, a practice Khan views as important for building community connection in a time when many people watch films alone at home.

For those unable to attend tonight's reading, Hollywood, VT has scheduled a companion event for Sunday, November 8. This second event, also held at the Latchis Theatre, will feature a screening of the actual film. Following the screening, a Q&A session will take place with filmmaker Bess O'Brien, Hitchcock historian Steven DeRosa, and Jeanine B. Frost, a filmmaker who is also part of tonight's staged reading cast.

The series aims to introduce local audiences to films they may not have seen, many of which have been overlooked by mainstream history. Khan noted that while some Vermonters watch the film every year as a fall tradition, others are discovering it for the first time through the event. The choice of The Trouble with Harry was made because it highlights the state's visual beauty, including its foliage, captured in VistaVision format.