Deathtrap

Deathtrap written by the American writer, Ira Levin first appeared in 1978.  A popular comedy-thriller, this play is performed in two acts by five characters.  Deathtrap is known for being the longest running play on Broadway with over 1800 performances within a four-year period.  

Present Stage Theatre Company have performed many plays since they were established in 2011.  This is the debut play for Director, Simone Baldwin, herself a seasoned performer and musical director.  This play offers the actors well-defined roles that all have depth and are interesting characters to play.  I believe it is the role of the director to ensure an equity of performance levels from all actors. This helps guarantee a satisfying audience experience and ensures the play moves at a good pace.  Simone achieved this and presented theatregoers with an evening of good quality drama and a story that entertained from beginning to end.

The stage was set to reflect the 1970s period.  The attention to detail was fantastic from the painting on the wall to the furniture, the telephone and even the Babycham bottles.  A wall-clock was utilised throughout the play to reflect the passage of time and to move between scenes; this was very effective. The sound and lighting were consistently good.  I particularly liked the use of music in the background and the continuation of speech and movement by the actors, as the light faded.  A lovely technique. The use of the staircase and the patio doors functioned as an effective extension to the space.  All the props used were perfect and added authenticity to the production.  The costumes were appropriate for the period.

Gavin Baldwin gave a superb performance. His charismatic depiction of Sidney Bruhl was convincing and impressive.  He moved seamlessly between the man struggling with writer’s block and the devious, potential murderer, taking the audience on the journey with him. Gavin demonstrated wonderful contrast between the sinister side to his character and the more comedic moments that rounded Sidney and kept the audience interested in his story.  This is a huge role with an extensive amount of dialogue that this actor fully embraced and delivered perfectly.  An excellent performance Gavin, congratulations.

Bruhl’s wife Myra Bruhl was played by Lorna Hughes. Myra is obviously wary of the suggestions being made by her husband Sidney.  Suspicious of his dark intentions she is led by her own moral compass.  Through excellent depiction of the character, she makes the audience aware that she is not in support of her husband’s plans and does not want to be associated with his murderous ideas.  Great work Lorna.

Jonathan Hughes gave a beautiful portrayal of Clifford Anderson.  Starting as the seemingly naive, trusting playwright his performance creates a sympathy from the audience, who are aware of Bruhl’s intentions.  Jonathan portrays Anderson as warm and accommodating.  However, a plot change allows Jonathan to display another, exciting side to this complex character.  The comedy within this script was delivered exquisitely by this actor. A lovely piece of acting Jonathan, congratulations.

Helga ten Dorp was brought to life by Karen Shepherd. Helga is a psychic whose larger-than-life personality contrasts magnificently with the other characters in the story.  She has an element of caricature that is almost sneered upon by some of the other characters, who underestimate her insights and dismiss them as somewhat irrelevant. Karen portrayed this character exceptionally well.  She added to the tension for the audience as they tried to foresee the outcome of the situation and work out how the story might conclude.  Great work, Karen.

Richard Williams brought us lawyer, Porter Milgrim.  A no-nonsense individual that provides an element of realism to the situation.  This solid, plain-speaking role works very well in juxtaposition to the other characters to provide another perspective to the somewhat surreal situation.  Well-done Richard.

It is no surprise that this play met with popular acclaim during its run on Broadway. It contains all the elements needed for an enjoyable, theatrical experience and was delivered excellently by Present Stage.  Congratulations to Simone, all the cast and crew.  

Thank you for inviting me and I look forward to seeing what Present Stage do next.

 

This views in this report are solely the opinion of the writer.

 

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