Synopsis Black comedy, mayhem and murder. Clifford Anderson has written a new thriller titled 'Deathtrap' and sends it to Sidney Bruhl for comment. Sidney hasn't had a successful play for years and plans how he might plagiarise this new script. When Clifford turns up at the isolated New England home of the Bruhl's events start to take a sinister turn.
Russell Beale plays Sidney, a once-celebrated thriller author who’s now suffering from writer's block. While waiting for inspiration, he receives a brilliant script from one of his former writing students, Clifford (Groff). The temptation is too much. With the help of his wife, Sidney plots to murder his protégé and market the young man's sure-fire thriller as his own. But, as in any good thriller, twists and turns follow in abundance.
Deathtrap opened last night (7 September 2010, previews from 21 August) at the Noel Coward Theatre, where it's currently booking until 22 January 2011.
Michael Coveney on Whatsonstage.com (two stars) - "As an act of period restoration, this isn’t a patch on Warchus’ make-over of Boeing Boeing... The artfully plotted script – Levin’s and their own – twists and turns through acts of murder, flashes of lightning and the comical intrusions of a flapping attorney (Terry Beaver) and a psychic visitor, Helga ten Dorp, played by a wonderfully nutty Estelle Parsons. In the middle of it, Russell Beale projects a character in search of love and understanding, despite the crusty, poisonously witty exterior, that the play itself cannot sustain... But apart from one big surprise in the first act, the brandishing of weaponry and sudden reversals are not all that chilling."
Michael Billington in the Guardian (three stars) - "The fun lies in watching Simon Russell Beale as Sidney grow from an angsty flop-merchant into a potential Connecticut Macbeth. Although Russell Beale makes no concessions to an American accent, he deploys his innate comic gifts with great skill... It's a pleasure to watch his hair-trigger timing, even if he lacks the manic zest John Wood gave the role on Broadway. For all Russell Beale's style, and the personable presence of Jonathan Groff, of Glee fame, as the aspiring Clifford, Levin's play is a bit too self aware for its own good... What Levin has written is a diverting meta-thriller, implying he is delivering the final obsequies over a once-flourishing but exhausted genre."
Quentin Letts in the Daily Mail (three stars) - "For all its merits - and it is a perfectly watchable affair - there is something oddly unsatisfying about this show. It makes, in the end, for an adequate rather than inspired evening. The set certainly hits the spot - a vaulted barn roof, the walls covered in various lethal weapons featured in Sidney's plays. Slender, youthful Claire Skinner is certainly funny as Myra ... yet she hardly looks a candidate for a coronary. Mr Russell Beale, similarly, is miscast... He doesn't for a moment convince as playwright Sidney. He simply plays, well, Simon Russell Beale playing Sidney. Jonathan Groff is excellent as the young man... Theatrical in-jokes abound and some of the witticisms are peachy... By the end, however, it all feels like a murder mystery turned into something more ironic by a playwright who maybe couldn't come up with a more chilling ending."
Libby Purves in The Times (four stars) - "The gasps come courtesy of Ira Levin, who has been scaring the bejasus out of us in print since 1953... With this play he comes back, gleefully, to his early love of live theatre: its lusts and rages are the passions of one declining playwright and one ambitious one... It is wittily self-referential, artfully made, masterly in misdirection... If there is a problem with this splendid piece of hokum - and there isn't, not really, but if there was - it is that Russell Beale is too good, too subtle, too profoundly human an actor to fit into a serial killer-thriller, however knowingly self-mocking ... So there are moments in a seriously enjoyable evening, when Bruhl gives us shards of real feeling, real ambiguous self-disgust and humanity, and makes us stop happily wondering who will be clobbered next, and pause to consider the pain of an old man of the theatre when his reputation dwindles to just 'enough for a few dinner invitations and house seats'."
Henry Hitchings in the Evening Standard (four stars) – “The comedy thriller is not exactly staple West End fare these days but Matthew Warchus’ enjoyable revival of Ira Levin’s 1978 play Deathtrap suggests that the genre still has legs. It’s anchored by a superb performance from Simon Russell Beale... Warchus has done a characteristically nice job of dusting off a somewhat creaky period piece and imbuing it with vitality ... but it’s to Russell Beale that we’re unerringly drawn ... There are disappointments... The most grating feature is a plot recap near the end, which feels wholly unnecessary. Deathtrap may not be a show for those who expect their theatre to be intellectually exacting, but its brand of unapologetically giddy entertainment makes it sure to be a hit.”
Charles Spencer in the Daily Telegraph (three stars) - "Matthew Warchus directs a production that deftly catches both the piece’s humour and its sudden thrills ... Simon Russell Beale is in splendidly baleful, blackly comic mode as the blocked author, though even this fine actor can’t conceal the fact that the contrivances of the plot are pretty clunky, and that the piece is stronger on style and jokes than dramatic substance. Jonathan Groff makes a fresh-faced, apparently likeable adversary, but the other characters are thinly drawn with Claire Skinner wasted in the role of the wife ... It’s an enjoyable evening but the play finally feels too smugly delighted by its own ingenuity to be truly satisfying."
Ira Levin’s 1978 Deathtrap followed Anthony Shaffer’s Sleuth in being a superior thriller masquerading as a charade. In the film, Michael Caine snogged Christopher Reeve, and director Matthew Warchus incorporates that one change into this accurate, tense but ultimately unsatisfactory revival. So, Simon Russell Beale now snogs Jonathan Groff and turns the piece into a not very convincing gay fantasy.
As an act of period restoration, this isn’t a patch on Warchus’ makeover of Boeing-Boeing with Mark Rylance. Russell Beale’s Sidney Bruhl, a once successful playwright with a severe case of writer’s block, is driven to ecstasies of jealousy by a script sent to him by Groff’s too-cute-to-be-true Clifford Anderson, whom he tutored on a writers’ course.
The artfully plotted script – Levin’s and their own – twists and turns through acts of murder, flashes of lightning and the comical intrusions of a flapping attorney (Terry Beaver) and a psychic visitor, Helga ten Dorp, played by a wonderfully nutty Estelle Parsons.
In the middle of it, Russell Beale projects a character in search of love and understanding, despite the crusty, poisonously witty exterior, that the play itself cannot sustain. In the end, it’s all just too silly, with an incomprehensible denouement and a suggestion that the whole process is about to start all over again.
Rob Howell has designed a magnificent converted stable of brick and beams, hung about with handcuffs, swords and pistols for Bruhl’s Connecticut retreat – why is Bruhl English, I wonder? – and Gary Yershon has composed a creepy sound score that ratchets up the atmosphere.
But apart from one big surprise in the first act, the brandishing of weaponry and sudden reversals are not all that chilling. And Claire Skinner, struggling with an American accent and trying to be eccentric, is miscast as the lady of the house, though it’s always a pleasure to see her.
Simon R-B is brilliant.
The show passed by in what seemed like only a matter of seconds for me: it was entirely captivating and kept us on the edge of our seats - I even bunked-off work to see it:-)
SRB is incapable of turning out a poor performance, as he is pure quality ... he even found time to generously sign my ticket during the intermission, when I interupted and pestered him during his 'stage door' down time - what a gent! (thank you Simon!).
Go and see it - it is fab!
P.S. The 'gay' kiss is no big deal at all - who cares? I'm straight and I thought it was well done, if not a bit unexpected, plotline-wise:-) - Steve
22 Oct 10
As one of the finest actors of his generation Simon Russell Beale has given us countless wonderful performances at the Donmar and especially the National. To be able to do that though he needs to venture into the more lucrative West End from time to time. If we're lucky we get Spamalot, but conversely we have Deathtrap. Billed as a comedy thriller it's neither very funny or very thrilling. The plot is cleverly constructed but a main twist is repeated and two characters are almost entirely superfluous. SRB is incapable of a bad performance and finds more depth than the character merits but he's about as threatening as a teddy bear - and surely a playwright called Sidney Bruhl living in Connecticut should be an American. Jonathan Groff is quite good as Clifford and the set is impressive but Deathtrap feels about as relevant today as an episode of Murder She Wrote. - David Baxter
14 Oct 10
The fun premise and overall plot is fairly entertaining - but the acting is only so-so. I have seen Simon Russell Beale in "Humble Boy" and "Galileo" - in those he was just fine,though never outstanding. However, in "Deathtrap" all the luvvie adulation seems to have gone to his head and he behaves as if he can get away with anything on stage, as if the audience will adore him whatever he does. In the first act he irritated me immensely by rushing through his lines at breakneck speed and often not enunciating correctly while doing so- what was he trying to prove, how many words he could deliver in one breath? In the second half he slowed down somewhat but all throughout gave every indication of an actor who was delivering a performance on auto-pilot. I actually found the American businessman in the 2nd act far more convincing than old SRB. However, fairly enjoyable because of the tricksy plot, despite SRB's sloppy ( and occasionally inaudible ) stage technique. - William B
05 Oct 10
Like La Bete (same director and designer), it’s one of the most hyped shows of the year, but again a terrific set and a couple of fine performances isn’t enough to plug the holes in mediocre material. We don’t often see thrillers these days. Perhaps the genre has had its day? Woman in Black is still running after goodness knows how many years, but that’s probably due to the Mousetrap syndrome – something you have to do if you’re here. This is a comedy-thriller and it’s often funny and occasionally thrilling. It takes a long while to take off though and in the end it’s all much of a muchness. What might be seen as a ‘good night out’ for £25 on tour doesn’t really provide enough value for £50 in the West End. Rob Howell’s converted New England stable is extraordinary with much detail (if you’re near enough). Simon Russell Beale does deliver another fine performance which is well matched by Jonathan Groff. On the acting front, though, the play is badly let down by a truly dreadful turn from Estelle Parsons which does much to dampen the impact of the final scene. ‘Well, it’s a bit of fun’ as Rob Brydon’s Keith Barrett might say, but not a particularly satisfying evening in the theatre. Take it or leave it? Well, on balance I think I’d wished I’d left it. - Gareth James
18 Sep 10
We had a fantastic time at Deathtrap. Simon Russell Beale was amazing.
SPOILER:
I don't see how the editor can say that "Comments about the inclusion of spoilers in Michael Coveney's review are no longer relevant". Did they edit some out? Surely the first paragraph of the review totally blows the first and arguably best twist of the play! - Martin Walsh
15 Sep 10
Totally agree with Michael Coveney. It's really reductive to accuse him of being uncomfortable about gay relationships onstage- I'M gay and I found the sexual relationship between Groff and Beale totally unconvincing too. The kiss comes out of nowhere, and before and after, there's absolutely no erotic tension at all. As for Claire Skinner, I've seen at least two other reviews that also describe her as miscast. None of that stops the play from being decent fun, but it's not great either. - Miles
11 Sep 10
Mr Coveney's little toes will be positively wriggling with satisfaction at all the furore he has caused. - tomripley
10 Sep 10
In my very humble opinion, the Reviewer who must not be named - I thought I would refer to him Voldemort-wise, lest this post be interpreted as a personal attack, which it actually is not meant to be - had already given, over the last months, a major contribution to undermining the credibility and reliability of this website as a source of unbiased and professionally formed opinions.
I find that the censoring approach taken by the Editor is now making things worse. While "personal attacks" as such should justly not be tolerated, I think it is a right of all users of any information medium to politely express their disappointment with the quality of the service provided. - Andy
10 Sep 10
I can't believe you have only given this ** as it was a brilliant play and Simon and Jonathan were great and as for Estelle parsons--she had great lines and delivered them so well. I just thought it was great theatre and I was very entertained and several times made me jump---I recommend everyone to go and see it. - Joe Spiteri
10 Sep 10
One of the most entertaining evenings out. Fantastic writing and superb acting and directing. Unmissable. - C.C.V
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