Cast

Synopsis

Seemingly comfortably ensconced in his charming home, Sidney Bruhl, a successful writer of thrillers, is struggling to overcome a “dry” spell which has resulted in a string of failures and a shortage of funds.

A possible break in his fortunes occurs when he receives a script from a student in the seminar he has been conducting at a nearby college – a thriller which Sidney recognises immediately as a potential hit.

Sidney’s plan, which he devises with his wife’s help, is to offer collaboration to the student, an idea which the younger man quickly accepts. Thereafter suspense mounts steadily as the plot begins to twist and turn with devilish cleverness, and with an abundance of thrillers (and laughter), holding the audience enthralled until the final, startling moments of the play.

Directors Notes

Deathtrap. A play about a play. But who wrote it?

As soon as I read this play I absolutely loved it. It is a very clever thriller – and yes, there are thrills and shocks in it, so be prepared!

It may be familiar to some of you as it was turned into a film for which Ira Levin co-wrote the screenplay along with Jay Presson Allen. The film starred Michael Caine and Christopher Reeve in the two main parts. It is still occasionally screened on TV as a late night film.

This play has been an absolute joy to direct – I am fortunate in having a fantastic cast – who ALL more or less know their lines at the end of the first two weeks of rehearsals, which is absolutely brilliant as we will be missing quite a few rehearsals over the Christmas and New Year period. They are all giving their utmost and I’m getting lovely performances from them already.

A big thank you to all my backstage helpers – what a fantastic team they are, led by Pam Heywood as my Stage Manager.

I would also like to say a big Thank You to John Howard, who has choreographed the stage fighting scenes as he has done for us in the past. It is incredibly important that fights are done safely and everyone knows what they are doing at precise moments. So, it’s over to you, now. Sit back and enjoy. Get ready for some thrills, action and, of course, a few laughs along the way.