Review: A Bit of Comedy and Conniving Seizes Audiences with DEATHTRAP at APA

There really is quite a lot to be said about a show that is meant to be one thing, but really turns out to be another; when its character are not even in the loop of what is happening, what a dazzling conundrum is presented to an audience. Especially with a context saturated with murder and mayhem, with conniving human beings who believe themselves better than their fellow man, it is expected by every audience member present that there will be some sort of twist no one will see coming - a mystery which unfolds gradually to every baffled witness to what is occurring.

Yet, what happens when the characters on stage turn into players of an elaborate game that cannot even be mastered by those who think they know best? What brilliant catastrophe is brought forth when the words one records on paper soon inadvertently are soon transformed into a reality that not even its author could have seen transposed with complete clarity? This is the wonder of seeing a "murder-mystery" that can only be called such because there is plenty of murder and plenty of mystery, but both are brought about only as the means to a "bigger," more grandiose ending. This is Ira Levin's Deathtrap, and the Academy Playhouse brings this miraculous thriller to its stage, a move that undoubtedly adds to the list of successes this theater can boast of. Following in the footsteps of such previous successful productions as Sweet Charity, Man of La Mancha and Sweeney Todd, the Academy's presentation of Levin's Deathtrap will give audiences what a good time at the theater - and not only that, but will also provide for one heck of a night of mystery that doesn't always necessarily have to be solved.

Directed by Rich McKey, who brings his creative vision of what kind of world Levin's five characters should inhabit as they simultaneously create and cleverly avoid their own demise, Deathtrap is a joyride into the minds of maniacal people who think that their plans and intentions will be brought about not only because of the sheer brilliance they believe themselves to have, but also because everyone else is believed to not thinking along the same lines. From playwrights to psychics, to the innocent wife who sits on a couch and merely wants a part in the unfolding plot she knows not much about, everyone in this show wants to be included in some way, shape or form; although this is human nature to some extent, what people will do to see their vision become a reality is nothing short of something out of a book...and that is EXACTLY what makes this play so damn fascinating.

It is like Levin, as the playwright, decided to take the reign for ever so short a time and dictate what her characters will do, and therefore what the audience will bear witness to, and then just as suddenly backs away to see how the characters react to the possibility of executing their free will. As I've said, this is not simply a mystery where a plot needs to be hatched and then another figures it out and the story and gives us the satisfactory ending - the understanding we all seek. No - Levin's craftsmanship in creating this show makes certain that there is something unexpected to find in the expected, to the extent that the audience has to be constantly vigilant and on guard against succumbing to a fit of confusion.

It's an interesting show, to say the least.

Deathtrap brings together five characters whose current lives revolve around the introduction of a play that will apparently bring much fame and success to the person responsible for its creation. This is what renown playwright Sidney Bruhl makes very clear when he receives a copy of Deathtrap, a play by one Clifford Anderson who attended Bruhl's recent writing seminar. Bruhl, who hasn't written a successful play in eighteen years, is certain that Anderson's work will be the next undeniable Broadway success and only wishes that he were responsible for such a work of art. While discussing a meeting between himself and the young playwright with his wife Myra, it is suggested (in jest, at first) that what an idea it would be to rid the world of Anderson so Bruhl could pass Deathtrap off on as his own work and therefore reap the many benefits that will follow. With the money, fame and glory he and his wife would receive, the idea circulates in his head until he does what is apparently not the unthinkable.

What ensues from that moment is not what you expect - the long-standing, carefully planned plot which brought this to fruition is not the epitome of this show. From Dutch psychics warning of great danger, to young playwrights corroborating with their superiors in vey unusual ways to the confusion between fiction and reality, Deathtrap is really a tour-de-force of the mystery realm, forcing both audiences and characters alike how fool-proof the human mind and heart truly are...and what it means to bring about a world that, in the context of this play, should perhaps remain as mere words on paper - the idea of the playwright that is not meant to move past its literary bounds. And that is ONLY in the context of the play, as it is a fortunate thing that Levin wrote this show, and even more fortunate for Cape Cod that the Academy chose to perform it. .

McKey has brought together a stellar cast of five actors that make this rather verbose and complicated show flow effortlessly from scene to scene, allowing his characters a unique change to simultaneously move forward with their speeches and nuances while also taking that just noticeable change to digest each word said, each emotion felt and how it will ultimately fit into the plan each has concocted in his or her own mind. With each passing scene, the audience is aware that something is gradually going to come, and I cannot stress enough that this is simply a "whodunit" murder-mystery...this show is so much more elaborate, so much more intriguing and rather difficult to explain, that watching reality come to life before the characters' eyes and then retreating back into the more incredulous, both planned and unplanned story-mode is truly miraculous. This is a show that needs to be experienced and not explained. McKey has captured that confusion and put it into a neatly ordered yet still highly unpredictable binding, and this is a great show because of that.

Brian Dudley as Sidney Bruhl should first be congratulated because of the sheer number of lines he has to memorize; what a memory, and that is only one impressive thing that can be said about his person. He plays the part of the cool, collected and conniving playwright so well, that you really never know if he has ever altered from being his calm, composed self because he masks everything so, so well. To the very end, he never seems taken by surprise and retains that cool which makes his sarcastic character so interesting. Dudley is an amazing actor, and is really a joy to watch on stage. Karen McPherson as Helga ten Dorp, the Dutch psychic who vaguely catches on to what is going on from the start, is hilarious to watch. Watching her roam around stage in a trance, sending out quirky bits of humor amidst her predictions of murder and death really makes for an interesting character, and she really does Helga justice as a character.

Sam Wood as Clifford, for someone so young, retains that same calm as Dudley, and it is fascinating to behold because of how he is secretly plotting a game plan all his own without ever showing any of this beneath his intellectual words and collected actions. His is another character who must do everything in secret yet because he passes as one kind of person, but in reality (or in theory...?) must act as though no scheme is being hatched as he goes about his business and THAT is why Wood really is great for the role. Tara Kiernan as Myra plays the role of the innocent wife very well, and she is genuine in her portrayal of a woman who, as I said, wants to contributor to her husband's success, and even contemplates murder as a viable option...even if she doesn't want to admit she has this darkness within her to think such things. She is unlike the other characters because she really does try to be "bad" and conniving, but she doesn't succeed in pulling that off; as you will see, she pays the price for this in a way. Finally, Rich McKey as Porter, Sidney's lawyer, brings a rather different element to this show. He doesn't make too many appearances yet is given the chance to end the show with as much "uumph" and influence as the other characters possess. McKey doesn't need to say a whole lot to be considered one of the "guys," which is ironic come the play's end; he does a wonderful job for the time he is onstage.

If you're looking for an intriguing, suspenseful and overall rather good show to see this month, add the Academy's production of Deathtrap to your list! Deathtrap began performances at the Academy Playhouse (located at 120 Main Sreet in Orleans) on January 14th, and will continue thru February 14th. Tickets are $24 and can be purchased by visiting the box office in person, by calling (508) 255.1963 or by going to apacape.org. Light refreshments and snacks will be sold during intermission.

Enjoy the show!

Photo Credit: Michael and Susan Karchmer

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