Review: DEATHTRAP at The Wimberley Players

Based on Ira Levin’s sharp thriller, Deathtrap is a story about ambition, fear, and the hunger to stay relevant. Playwright Sidney Bruhl is trapped in his own fading success when a brilliant manuscript from former student Clifford Anderson tempts him with the possibility of reclaiming fame. What begins as professional envy slowly turns into a psychological game of manipulation and moral compromise. The play cleverly mirrors the thriller Sidney hopes to write, folding structure and story together with sly precision.

At its core, the production is about legacy and the terror of being forgotten. Sidney is not only chasing success but fighting irrelevance. Clifford represents youth, talent, and creative ease, qualities Sidney feels he is losing. Tension builds through conversation, calculation, and unspoken intent rather than physical action, pulling the audience into the construction of suspense itself.

The performances are uniformly strong. Greg Baglia delivers a sophisticated Sidney Bruhl, blending urbane charm with quiet menace. Humor softens suspicion while darker impulses remain just beneath the surface, and the character’s psychological decline unfolds with controlled subtlety.

Carla Daws gives Myra Bruhl emotional grounding. Her love for Sidney feels genuine but is shadowed by growing dread. Myra is played with restrained vulnerability, providing the thriller with its human and domestic heartbeat.

Taylor Lueckenotte keeps Clifford Anderson intentionally ambiguous, avoiding fixed readings of innocence or calculation, which strengthens the play’s tension.

Grace Crane’s Helga ten Dorp offers eccentricity balanced with sincerity. The psychic neighbor’s talk of vibrations and fate reinforces the play’s theme that suspense follows patterns, not randomness, and her performance allows humor to surface without tipping into caricature.

Jim Bast’s Porter Milgrim provides calm, analytical authority. Though Sidney dismisses him as dull, the character represents the steady, pragmatic forces surrounding the chaotic creative rivalry.

The set design by Todd Allen Martin is a standout. The writer’s study feels lived in and shaped by ambition. The desk, fireplace, and wall-mounted theatrical weapons function as visual storytelling elements that support suspense through detail and restraint.

Director Rebecca Woods favors stillness and precision. Meaningful pauses, deliberate movement, and controlled pacing allow the script’s architecture to carry tension rather than relying on spectacle.

Ultimately, the play asks who owns a story. Sidney’s jealousy evolves into existential fear, reflecting the anxiety artists face when confronting aging and cultural displacement. By the final twists, Deathtrap becomes a meditation on ambition, conscience, and the trap that forms when creativity is driven by fear of disappearing. The Wimberley Players deliver a tight, intelligent thriller where strong performances and thoughtful staging keep the audience leaning forward until the last satisfying snap of suspense.

If you are in Central Texas, a visit to charming Wimberley, Texas is a perfect way to spend an evening. Deathtrap offers smart suspense, playful misdirection, and a story that keeps you guessing until the final twist. The production balances psychological tension with wit, making it thoroughly entertaining without feeling heavy.

Duration: 2.5 hours including intermission.

DEATHTRAP

Book by Ira Levin

Director: Rebecca Woods

Now playing through March 15th, 2026

Fridays & Saturdays at 7:30 PM, Sundays at 2:30 PM

The Wimberley Players

450 Old Kyle Road