St. Jacobs Country Playhouse Presents SLEUTH, Now thru Oct 21

Anthony Shaffer’s Sleuth, will be on stage at the St. Jacobs Country Playhouse for three weeks only from tonight, October 3^rd through October 21^st. Described as "a top-class thriller whose plot twists and turns are breathtakingly audacious and fiendishly cunning, Sleuth is in one of the cleverest thrillers ever imagined."

Set against the backdrop of a classic English manor, two rivals play out deadly mind games in a tangled web of intrigue as Andrew Wyke, an immensely successful mystery writer, calculates revenge against his wife’s younger lover, Milo Tindle.

An intriguing game of cat and mouse ensues, with deathly repercussions.

“The St. Jacobs Country Playhouse is an ideal venue to showcase this gripping production,” says Alex Mustakas, Artistic Director of Drayton Entertainment. “It’s extremely intimate so audiences will be immediately drawn in to the story unfolding on stage.”

Veteran Canadian actor Victor A. Young takes on the role of distinguished Andrew Wyke. This summer, Young delighted local theatregoers as Dr. Chumley in the gentle comedy, Harvey. Young returns to The Playhouse in November to portray the iconic Oliver Warbucks in Annie.

James Kall is the wily Milo Tindle. St. Jacobs Country Playhouse audiences will recognize Kall as the non-conforming Eighth Juror in Twelve Angry Men. Kall also directed the matrimonial comedy Perfect Wedding earlier this season at the Drayton Festival Theatre.

Sleuth is directed by Marti Maraden. A theatre veteran with an impressive list of credits, Maraden worked with the Stratford Shakespeare Festival for nearly three decades where she rose from an actor to director and was eventually appointed as one of three co-artistic directors for the Festival. The former Artistic Director of the National Arts Centre English Theatre in Ottawa, Maraden has worked with many theatre companies across the country, including the Shaw Festival, Canadian Stage, Theatre New Brunswick, Manitoba Theatre Centre and Montreal’s Saidye Bronfman Centre.

Sleuth was an instant hit when it made its West End debut in February 1970. Moving to Broadway the following November, it won equal praise in the United Sates, and has been dubbed one of the best stage thrillers of all time.

Awarded with Best Play honors at the 1971 Tony Awards, Sleuth was adapted to become a major motion picture starring Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine in 1972. Another film adaptation was released in 2007 with a screenplay by Harold Pinter. The 2007 film was directed by Kenneth Branagh, starring Michael Caine and Jude Law as Milo Tindle, originally played by Caine in the 1972 version.

“After a terrific summer season with large-scale musicals and outrageous comedies, this suspenseful story will be a wonderful change of pace for theatregoers,” says Mustakas. “The buzz is already building and tickets are being snapped up for this nail-biting thriller.”

Sleuth is proudly sponsored by Anytime Fitness and Commercial Print Craft. Media Sponsors are 570 News and The Wellington Advertiser. Design Sponsor is TD Waterhouse: The Brian Vickers Investment Group.

Sleuth plays eight shows a week, tonight, October 3^rd through October 21^st. Tickets can be purchased online at www.draytonentertainment.com, in person at the St. Jacobs Country Playhouse Box Office, or by calling (519) 747-7788 or toll free 1-855-drayton (372-9866).