Alison Fraser, Debra Jo Rupp, Gregg Edelman & More to Lead Berkshire Theatre Group's DEATHTRAP

Berkshire Theatre Group presents Tony Award-nominated comedy thriller Deathtrap, featuring Gregg Edelman, Alison Fraser, Eric Hill, Tom Pecinka and Debra Jo Rupp, and directed by BTG Alum, Aaron Mark. Opening Night is Friday, July 3 at 8pm. Preview performances begin on Wednesday, July 1 at 7pm and the production closes Saturday, July 25 at 8pm.

Tickets to Deathtrap are $62, all preview tickets are $42. Tickets may be purchased in person at the Colonial Ticket Office at 111 South Street, Pittsfield; at the Fitzpatrick Main Stage Ticket Office at 83 East Main Street, Stockbridge; by calling (413) 997-4444 or online at www.BerkshireTheatreGroup.org. All plays, schedules, casting and prices are subject to change.

Recognized as the longest-running comedy thriller on Broadway, Deathtrap is a sidesplitting romp of a play within a play. Aaron Mark, who brilliantly directed The Mystery of Irma Vep last year, directs Ira Levin's treasured Tony Award-nominated play. This witty thriller tells the tale of defeated playwright, Sidney Bruhl, played by Gregg Edelman (Broadway: City of Angels, 1776, Into The Woods, Anything Goes; BTG: A Little Night Music), who would do almost anything to write a hit Broadway play. Former student, Clifford Anderson, played by Tom Pecinka (BTG: Design For a Living), tells Sidney that he's written a suspense play with a seamless plot that's sure to be Broadway-bound. When Sidney lures Clifford into his colonial style home, adorned with eclectic antique weaponry, both men's motives become unclear as unforeseen happenings unfold. Jaw-dropping hilarity ensues as the zany characters, played by Alison Fraser (Broadway: The Secret Garden, BTG: Anna Christie), Debra Jo Rupp (Television: That 70's Show) and Eric Hill (BTG: A Christmas Carol, A Man for All Seasons), weave a web of mystery in two acts.

Mark says, "Deathtrap ran for four years on Broadway after opening in 1978, and it's remained ubiquitous in theaters around the world. It's the play theatregoers think we know but shocks us every time. What struck me reading it again recently, though, is how eerily relevant it is prophetic, even-in our increasingly "success"-obsessed culture. Ira Levin (Rosemary's Baby, The Stepford Wives) not only created the mother of all contemporary meta-thrillers when he created Deathtrap, he created a potent cautionary tale about greed. As one with "thrilleritis" (Levin's term, not mine), myself, I couldn't be more thrilled that The Fitzpatrick Main Stage is the frighteningly perfect setting for this ingenious puzzle of a 'who'll-do-it.'"

Stay after the opening performance of Deathtrap on July 3 to sample offerings from BTG's brand new café, Jane's Café, located inside The Fitzpatrick Main Stage lobby. Jane's Café, named after Jane Fitzpatrick, will be catered by The Red Lion Inn. The menu, created by The Red Lion Inn's Executive Chef and Director of Food & Beverage, Brian Alberg, includes handcrafted sandwiches, salads and sweets.

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