Few expressions are as hackneyed and annoying as “it does what it says on the tin.” But you know what? I’m going to use it here. Because Deathtrap – currently playing at London’s Noel Coward Theatre – does what it says on the tin. Billed as a “comedy thriller” the play made me laugh (comedy), it made me jump (thriller), and it contains an actual death trap. Not since Shopping and Fucking have I seen a play that so adequately lives up to its titular promise.
The plot revolves around playwright Sidney Bruhl (Simon Russell Beale), a once-lauded thriller writer whose career is on the skids. Out of the blue Sidney receives a brilliant script from former student Clifford Anderson (Jonathan Groff aka ‘him off Glee‘). Entitled ‘Deathtrap’ it is a sure-fire smash, exactly the kind of thing to restore ‘Four Flops’ Bruhl’s reputation. So Sidney invites Clifford to his Westport home, ostensibly to see if he can somehow weasel himself a co-writing credit. When it emerges that young Clifford has brought the only existing copy of the script and that nobody knows where he is, it isn’t too long before we start wondering just how far the frustrated artist will go to recapture his former glory. Add to the mix Sidney’s wealthy wife Myra (Claire Skinner), their psychic neighbour (Jane Lambert), a nosey lawyer (Terry Beaver) and an impressive collection of weaponry dotted around the study and you’ve got a delicious recipe for twists, turns, suspense, humour and, naturally, murder.
Decency prevents me from giving away any more than that but suffice to say in a stage thriller about a stage thriller penned by Ira Levin (author Rosemary’s Baby and The Stepford Wives, no less) there’s a lot of ingenious twists and turns, certainly enough to keep this audience member on his toes. And an honest-to-goodness I-did-not-see-that-coming shock towards the end of the first act is worth the price of admission alone.
Written in 1978, this revival revels in attention to period detail. The wood paneling, kaftans, typewriters, cut crystal glasses, etc. are so beautifully rendered that they almost detract from the onstage action. Fortunately, under Matthew Warchus’s direction, the cast – especially Russell Beal and Groff – pitch the piece perfectly between impossible realism and too-knowing camp.
Forget musicals: fun, funny, and frightening, ‘Deathtrap’ is theatrical escapism at its best.
Running until 22 January 2011.
Tags: Claire Skinner, Deathtrap, Ira Levin, Jane Lambert, Jonathan Groff, Matthew Warchus, Noel Coward Theatre, Review, Simon Russell Beale, Terry Beaver, Theatre
