Paranormal Activity Stars Discuss Audience Energy in Broadway Horror
Paranormal Activity: A New Story Live on Broadway is now playing at the August Wilson Theatre, following an American couple who move to London to escape their past. Cast members Travis A. Knight, Cher Álvarez, and Eva Kaminsky describe the interactive audience reactions, including screams and laughter. Playwright Levi Holloway explains that horror's urgency makes it well-suited for the stage.
The production marks the Paranormal Activity franchise's first leap to the live stage, settling into the August Wilson Theatre with an original narrative rather than a direct film adaptation. The plot centers on James and Lou, an American couple relocating to London, with the story's core theme suggesting that haunted places matter less than haunted people. Playwright Levi Holloway and director Felix Barrett lead the creative team, with tickets starting at $58.88.
The gala night celebration included red carpet interviews where cast members highlighted the unusually vocal audience behavior during performances. Actors described spectators screaming, laughing nervously, and even talking back to the stage, creating a reciprocal energy between performers and viewers. The principal cast includes Travis A. Knight, Cher Álvarez, Eva Kaminsky, and Shannon Cochran, with Álvarez emphasizing the romantic relationship at the story's emotional center.
This production may signal growing audience appetite for horror in live theater, offering communal catharsis that differs from solitary film viewing. The interactive audience dynamic—screaming, laughing, and reacting together—could reinforce theater's value as a shared social experience in an increasingly digital entertainment landscape. Adapting a recognizable franchise may also attract younger or genre-focused attendees who might not otherwise consider Broadway, potentially broadening theater's demographic reach and encouraging future genre experiments on stage.