Cher Álvarez Is Having the Time of Her Life Scaring Broadway Audiences in Paranormal Activity
Cher Álvarez is making her Broadway debut with plenty of thrills, chills, and a few possible ghosts in Paranormal Activity.
“It’s been an incredible roller coaster,” Álvarez shared at the Opening Gala Celebration. After performing the show in previous productions across North America, she is now reprising the role of Lou at Broadway’s August Wilson Theatre. “It’s the kind of opportunity that I think I’ve always dreamed about,” she said. “The fact that it’s happening feels really surreal.”
Álvarez regularly reminds herself to remain present and enjoy the milestone. The production also fulfills another longtime ambition by allowing her to play, in a way, two different characters onstage. “That’s always been a dream of mine,” she added. “I’m having the time of my life.”
Although Álvarez admitted she was once afraid to watch horror movies, she has fully embraced the opportunity to frighten Broadway audiences eight times a week.
“The fact that I get to be in one and scare the living hell out of people, it’s a dream come true,” she said.
Written by Levi Holloway and directed by Felix Barrett, Paranormal Activity features an original story inspired by the popular film franchise. The play follows James and Lou as they move from Chicago to London in an attempt to escape their past, only to discover that places are not haunted, people are.
Translating the suspense of a horror movie into a live theatrical experience allows the production to feel different at every performance. Álvarez credited Barrett and Holloway with creating a world that feels “lived in, human, and organic.” She and co-star Travis A. Knight, who plays James, continue to experiment onstage while responding to each audience’s energy.
“The audience is such an integral part of our play,” Álvarez said. “We get to feed off of them and their reactions, so it’s like a different kind of spice every night.”
Some theatergoers become so immersed that they begin warning the characters about what could happen next. Álvarez recalled one performance at Los Angeles’ Ahmanson Theatre when audience members began shouting, “Don’t kiss her, Jimmy!” as strange events unfolded. Those spontaneous reactions have become part of the excitement of performing a horror story in front of a live crowd.
The paranormal activity may not be limited to the stage. Álvarez revealed that the cast participated in a ghost-hunting tour of the August Wilson Theatre, where an EMF detector began reacting during the investigation.
“Yes, I believe in ghosts,” she confirmed.
Álvarez also described feeling unwelcome in her dressing room during the show’s San Francisco engagement. She recalled sensing something energetically pulling at a blanket, an experience that eerily mirrors a moment in the production. For Álvarez, one line from Holloway’s play captures the deeper idea behind its scares: “Places aren’t haunted, people are.”
Paranormal Activity began performances on August 14, 2026, and officially opened on August 25 at the August Wilson Theatre. The strictly limited 20-week engagement also stars Knight as James, Shannon Cochran as Carolanne, and Eva Kaminsky as Etheline Cotgrave, with understudies Caron Buinis, Caroline Hendricks, and Michael Holding. The entire company is making its Broadway debut and reprising roles performed in earlier North American productions.
For Álvarez, it is a Broadway debut filled with ambitious storytelling, unpredictable audiences, and more than a few ghosts. Most importantly, she is having plenty of fun scaring theatergoers along the way.
For more information on Paranormal Activity, visit paranormalbroadway.com.
