Surprises galore in Wheaton Drama's 'Deathtrap'

When friends ask Roger Westman about his latest project with Wheaton Drama, Inc., he doesn't know what to tell them.

The Naperville man says he fears that explaining his lead role in the comedy-thriller "Deathtrap" might spoil the surprise.

"There's not a lot you can say," said Westman, who plays Sidney Bruhl. "You want people coming in not knowing anything about it, because that's really the fun of the show - not knowing what's going to happen next."

Indeed, the 1978 play by Ira Levin is famous for its numerous plot twists. For the Wheaton Drama production that opens Friday, Jan. 30, at Playhouse 111, director Annie Walker-Bright says she added her own little twist at the end.

"The ending could be a lot of things," she said.

The play starts with Bruhl - a once-successful playwright desperate for another box office hit - getting a script written by a young writer named Clifford Anderson. Convinced that the thriller Anderson wrote is brilliant, Bruhl comes up with a deadly plan to pass the script off as his own.

What follows is "a nonstop thriller with plot twists, double-crossings, and sharp banter," Jo-Ann Ledger wrote in the publicity material for the Wheaton Drama production.

"Reading the script for the first time, I was surprised at all the twists," Westman said. "Just when you think you know what's going to happen, it's not what happens."

In addition to Westman, the Wheaton Drama cast includes: Adam Krause of Hanover Park as Clifford Anderson, Dawn Herbst of Naperville as Myra Bruhl, Steve Blount of Wheaton as Porter Milgram, and Kathryn Quan of Schaumburg as Helga ten Dorp.

Walker-Bright said the cast and crew had to overcome several challenges, including how to make murder sequences believable in a small theater.

"The audience is so close," she said. "So if it (the action) is really, really fake, they can tell."

As a result, several scenes had to be choreographed.

"They can't be random when it comes to movement," Westman said. "Everything has to be very carefully planned and executed."

Even the proper placement of a particular prop is crucial.

"It's just a lot of little details that are so easy to pass over when you are first reading the script," Westman said. "But the more we got into the rehearsal process, we realized we've got to pay attention to even the smallest items because they play such an important part in the plot of the story."

In addition to holding the record as the longest-running comedy-thriller on Broadway, "Deathtrap" was adapted into a 1982 film. The popularity of the play has helped initial ticket sales for the Wheaton Drama production.

"People recognize it," Walker-Bright said. "Even though it's an older show, they still want to see it again."

Because of adult themes and language, viewer discretion is advised.

While Westman agrees the play isn't for children, he says it should be fun for older crowds to watch.

"It will be a nice change for the audiences who like to come in and laugh at the comedies, cry at the dramas and smile at the musicals," he said. "This will given them something to gasp a little bit."

<p class="factboxheadblack">"Deathtrap" </p> <p class="News"><b>Who:</b> Staged by Wheaton Drama, Inc.</p> <p class="News"><b>When:</b> 8 p.m. Jan. 30-31, Feb. 5-7, 12-14, 19-21; 3 p.m. Feb. 1, 8, 15, 22</p> <p class="News"><b>Where:</b> Playhouse 111, 111 N. Hale St., Wheaton</p> <p class="News"><b>Tickets:</b> $16; $13 on Thursdays</p> <p class="News"><b>Info:</b> (630) 260-1820 or <a href="http://www.wheatondrama.org" target="new">wheatondrama.org</a></p> <div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=267413">Director's cut: 'Deathtrap brings own special challenges' </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>