Review: Deathtrap, Lace Market Theatre

The title stresses that this is not just any old Deathtrap but Ira Levin’s Deathtrap surely as a witty reference to a basic element of the plot. Keen, young and dedicated Clifford Anderson has penned a potential money mine of a thriller called Deathtrap. But it seems that famous but failing thriller writer, Sidney “four flops in a row” Bruhl intends to help Clifford out of this life and peddle Deathtrap as his own work.

In fact there are plays within plays within plays in this one, all of which seem to be called Deathtrap. With its deferential references to other classics of the thriller genre it’s all highly meta-theatricality. And there’s a generous helping of darkly satirical humour.

Robert Suttle succeeds in drawing laughs out of the juxtaposition of deep wickedness and banal normalcy which goes with the character of Sidney; though his American accent frequently wanders away. Clifford’s apparent initial naivety and enthusiasm is very well caught by Edward P Crook in his first Lace Market role.

Another newcomer, Judie Matthews, gives arguably the top performance of the evening as the fetching Myra, Sidney’s poor wife; Matthews handles the sense of horror, as well as the American accent well. Helga van Dorp, an eccentric clairvoyant with an apparent gift for ESP, is beautifully played by Carol Parkinson with a Dutch accent and just the right amount of the OTTs. Steve Mitchell is neatly contrasted to everyone else as the oddly named Porter Milgram, Sidney’s lawyer.

They do their stuff in a nicely realised room of a period house in Westport, Connecticut. The walls are lined with antique weaponry, souvenirs of Bruhl’s previous triumphs: swords, guns, a mace – and an axe. It’s an all very seventies set, complete with one, later two, splendid traditional typewriters. And for a lot of the time the action competes with the background sound of a storm.

Predictably, after someone gets killed the body is buried along with, for no very good reason, a perfectly decent and serviceable rug. But this is a favourite thriller cliché.

You wonder what’s real and what isn’t. From beginning to end the plot keeps you guessing, each twist and turn opening up new possibilities of plot development to the point where anything’s possible and proceedings threaten to tip over into uncontrolled absurdity.

Nevertheless this famous comedy/thriller will make a shamelessly entertaining night out. It’s directed by Bob Wildgust.

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IRA LEVIN'S DEATHTRAP
The Lace Market Theatre until Saturday 8 February 2014

This is the first time that I've seen "Deathtrap" by Ira Levin, described as the Stephen King of the 60's and 70's and I can see the comparison in this excellent thriller performed at the Lace Market all this week.

It's the story of a thriller writer, Sidney Bruhl, who is suffering from writer's block when a student, Clifford Anderson, who he met at a convention asks his advice on a new thriller that he is writing. He decides that this is the sort of story to catapult him into the spotlight and solve all of his money worries. Bruhl's wife Myra has reservations about the turn of mood shown by Sidney and tries to convince him that maybe a collaboration may the way forward for Bruhl and young Anderson.

Bruhl invites Anderson over to chat about the collaboration, but Bruhl is greedy and doesn't want to share and things take rather a violent turn for Anderson. But this isn't the only turn, as there are many turns and twists to come in this very entertaining comedy thriller.

Robert Suttie is excellent as the scheming scriptwriter Bruhl, Judie Matthews makes her debut as Myra and also making his debut is Edward P Crook who is brilliant as the young writer, Clifford Anderson. Carol Parkinson plays the wonderful wacky psychic Helga Van Dorp. who also is not quite as she seems by the end of the play, and finally Steve Mitchell plays Bruhl's legal man Porter Milgram.

We see three murders but is there a fourth and who is the last one standing, well that's for you to come along and work out.

This may be the best thing that I've seen at The Lace Market and highlights the work of the Director, Bob Wildgust, who has been around the theatre for a good few years, and with this as a shining example of his work, I'm hoping he'll be around for a long time to come.

The sound and lighting effects create the eerie atmosphere, so pats on the back for Simon carter and Rose Dudley respectively and what a marvellous set as well, designed by Keith Parkinson.

If you like a play that keeps you on the edge of your seat and makes you jump now and again, then this is the one for you. Excellent show!

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Adrian Bhagat went to see Deathtrap at the Lace Market Theatre

Deathtrap is a comic thriller written by Ira Levin, an author perhaps best known for his novel about Satanic worship, Rosemary's Baby, which became a very disturbing film. Deathtrap itself was made into a film starring Michael Caine and Christopher Reeve and includes a very memorable and menacing scene involving a young man trapped in a pair of handcuffs who grows increasingly aware that he is in danger.

Deathtrap features an aging playwright, Sidney Bruhl, who is struggling to write a new thriller that will pay his bills. When a younger writer, Clifford Anderson, sends him a very promising script for a play called Deathtrap, he concocts a plan to murder the young man and publish the play as his own, much to the astonishment of his nervous wife, Myra. The audience are led inside a weird circle of self-reference in which the play we are watching appears to be the play within that play! There's a clever twist within the first half but the plot gets increasingly strange and, by the end, has descended entirely into silliness.

The cast is mostly comprised of newcomers to the Lace Market's amateur company. Robert Suttle, as Sidney, seemed to be the one most settled into his role, despite uncertainty about lines. Carol Parkinson provides comic relief as the crazy interfering psychic Helga van Dorp, overacting to the degree that the part demands. The main problem with the staging seems to be the lack of chemistry in the relationships between characters, though this is more a failing of the script than the cast.

When the play was first produced in 1978 it was extremely popular, running for around 1,800 performances, though critics were less sure. These days, we are accustomed to postmodern parodies of genre fiction and so it seems rather less clever and original that it must have done then. However, this is quite a fun production with some good twists and surprises.

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Deathtrap, Lace Market Theatre

Ira Levin’s 1978 comic thriller is one of the longest running plays on Broadway. It now enjoys a slightly shorter run at the Lace Market Theatre. But as an ‘amateur production’ does it die a death or trap you in its clutches?

The Venue: The Lace Market Theatre, Halifax Place. What a hidden gem, tucked away on a lane in the Lace Market. Furnished with vintage red velvet seats, it accommodates an intimate audience of around one hundred. It’s the sort of place where you can happily chat to a complete stranger. Bar available with drinks and ice-cream.

The Plot: Famous playwright Sidney Bruhl receives a promising draft of a new play from a budding young writer. Plagued by writer’s block Sidney considers plagiarism and something more sinister.

It’s clever, funny and rather dark, with twists and shifts of style and tone.

Favourite Line of the Play: ‘What’s the point in having a mace if you’re not going to use it?

Highlights: Shock entrances and violent deeds cause the audience to jump in their seats.

The Cast and Direction: Robert Suttle puts in a sneaky performance as Sidney Bruhl with great scenes of physical comedy and expressive eyebrows to die for.

Edward P Crook is a very confident lead as Clifford and looks absolutely at home on the stage.  He deftly handles the change of tone later in the play.

Judie Matthews, as Myra Bruhl, is excellent and professional throughout, but isn’t quite unpleasant enough for me.

The role of psychic Helga van Dorp is a gift to Lace Market Theatre veteran Carol Parkinson who gives a lively and funny performance, with a wonderfully crazy accent.

Steve Mitchell, as Porter Milgram is a little shaky at first, but soon finds his feet.

Bob Wildgust’s direction is brilliant, but the controversial homosexual relationship between the main actors is much ignored, apart from a heartfelt ‘I love you’ from Sidney in Act II, which seems a little uncomfortable. This element is underplayed, as has frequently been the convention throughout the history of the play. I would like to see a little more.

At times, the cast struggle to maintain American accents, although I did check the programme to see if Judie Matthews hailed from the States, as her accent stays true.

Perhaps the play might have been re-located from the American Hills to a leafy district of London (or even Nottingham) with names and cultural references edited. It didn’t drastically affect the play, but occasionally I couldn’t quite catch what the characters were saying.

Overall Impression: For an ‘amateur production ‘, the performance is very slick. The well-lit set is attractively adorned with weaponry and 70’s devices and music from the era plays in the interval. The professionally produced programme with excellent illustrations is impressive.

I enjoyed a highly entertaining evening in a beautiful and warm ambience.

Prices: Tickets range from £7-£11. The theatre is supported by a loyal following with season tickets available for a very reasonable £55.

And One More Thing: The theatre also offers the opportunity to get involved with productions whether you your talent is prop-making or sewing costumes, marketing or front of house. Auditions are held regularly, so perhaps you might even play the lead in an upcoming performance.

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