Review: Jarrott Productions DEATHTRAP Gives Us Classic Thriller Fun

Ira Levin is well know for his novels such as Rosemary’s Baby and The Stepford Wives and took his formidable skills sucessfully into playwriting, too. Along with other plays such as NO TIME FOR SARGEANTS and VERONICA'S ROOM, his thriller DEATHTRAP, is a classic. The play was first performed on Broadway in 1978 and has since become one of the most successful and widely produced plays in the United States. In 1982, DEATHTRAP was adapted into a film directed by Sidney Lumet. The film starred Michael Caine, Christopher Reeve, and an ever so neurotic Dyan Cannon — and while it didn't replicate the success of the play, it introduced the story to a wider audience. DEATHTRAP was a major success on Broadway, running for 1,793 performances and received several Tony Award nominations. It’s a prime example of a successful thriller that has left a lasting mark on the world of theatre. Its blend of suspense, humor, and unexpected twists has made it a timeless classic in the genre. With DEATHTRAP, we have, even some forty odd years later, a contemporary thriller that doesn’t just rival, but surpasses the stuffy classics in the same genre. Produced far and wide for decades, here in our fair city, we are treated to a fine production of DEATHTRAP offered by Jarrott Productions now playing at Trinity Street Playhouse.

The play revolves around a successful playwright, Sidney Bruhl (Devin Finn) who is struggling with writer's block. He receives a promising script from a former student, Clifford Anderson. (Kyle Irion). Sidney's wife, Myra (Natalie D. Garcia) encourages him to invite Clifford to their home to discuss the play, but Sidney has other, more sinister, plans. These plans may or may not be foiled by a nosy neighbor/psychic Helga Ten Dorp (Janelle Buchanan) who drops in at the most… unfortunate times. Rounding out this formula for a perfect mystery thriller, Sidney’s lawyer Porter Milgram (David Kroll) is the fifth character in this twisty story. 

Upon entering the intimate theatre, one should notice right away, Steve Williams’ meticulous and pretty set. For a thriller with this kind of popularity and in a theatre as intimate as Trinity Street, Williams delivers. Not just detailed, but designed to solve a multitude of challenges such as… well, I can’t say without spoilers… . Suffice it to say it’s beautiful. MacKenzie Milligan’s lighting design, also integral to the plot of a thriller, is great as well. Craig Brock gives us clever sound and music (though I can’t help but suspect some bolstering from director and former radio personality David Jarrott) Ya gotta love the creative effort of having the curtain speech delivered from the on set radio an actor turns on in the opening scene. Well played Jarrott, well played.

Jarrott’s direction is precise and acting is tight in this production. Finn, who is one of the most gifted and committed actors in the Austin area, gives us a brooding and refined Sidney, and Garcia embodies an anxious and funny Myra. Buchanan’s Helga is neatly wrapped, even as her trademark eccentricities poke outside her edges. Irion gives us a sturdy Clifford, and, even in his short scenes, Kroll’s Porter is drawn with strong lines and colors.

I do have some musings. While I would have enjoyed a bit more emphasis on the dark humor of the script, and deeper connections between the actors, with live theatre it’s hard to tell what the source of something like this can be. Is it just my preference, a restrained audience, directing choices, actors? It’s difficult to say. Certainly, Jarrott has done a great job here of ensuring this thriller doesn’t turn into a melodrama. It’s easy to do, and this production team generally avoids it. Therefore, my musings are just that. Musings. The things I note here are not likely to vary your mileage, so go see it! I mean, it’s good! Great script, solid actors, a great crew, why, "even a gifted director couldn’t hurt it."

DEATHTRAP

By Ira Levin

Directed by David Jarrott

Trinity Street Players Black Box Theatre

4th Floor, First Baptist Church

901 Trinity Street

Austin, TX, 78701

October 27 - November 12, 2023

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