'Deathtrap' as deadly as ever
You'd think that seasoned theater audiences would, by now, know all the twists and turns of Ira Levin's "Deathtrap." After all, it's frequently touted as the longest-running comedy-thriller in Broadway history, and it was made into a 1982 movie with Michael Caine and Christopher Reeve.
Yet, a good production can still pack a few punches, and the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre's current staging manages to catch the audience off guard more than once.
Sidney Bruhl (James Turano) is a washed-up mystery playwright who gets a promising manuscript in the mail. Bruhl tells his wife Myra (Stephanie Wootten-Austin) that the play -- written by Clifford Anderson, a student in one of his seminars -- is a sure-fire ticket to box office gold. So Bruhl invites Clifford (Walter Bezt) over, all the while ruminating over how to cash in on the younger man's creativity.
The big question is: How?
Should Bruhl take Myra's advice to collaborate and share in the glory? Or should he bump off Clifford, bury him in the garden and claim "Deathtrap" as his own?
PLAY REVIEW "Deathtrap" 3 stars out of four3 stars out of fourLocation: Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, 111 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights Times: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 7 p.m. Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday, with a 1:30 p.m. performance Feb. 14. Through March 8. Running time: About two hours and 20 minutes, with intermissionParking: Street and free garage parkingTickets: $22-$42Box office: (847) 577-2121 or www.metropolisarts.com Rating: Sexual themes, violence, for older teens and adults Video 'Deathtrap'
It's all comically complicated by Bruhl's neighbor, a wacky psychic named Helga (Christine Cummings) who's busy predicting murder and mayhem when she's not plugging her upcoming appearance on Merv Griffin's TV show. (It is, after all, the '70s.)
Timing is everything in a work like "Deathtrap." Yet at the opening performance, the pacing (and Turano) seemed off initially, getting the first act off to a sluggish start. Things picked up, though, and the cast came together to deliver a stronger, more cohesive second act.
Cummings, as the hilarious Helga, is a true scene stealer. Her expressions, movements and highly exaggerated accent make you wish she had more stage time. Likewise, Wootten-Austin comes off as an appropriate bundle of nerves, making use of every twitch and gesture as she weighs what her scheming husband is up to. And Bezt is quite appealing as Clifford, a budding pretty-boy playwright who may just provide more than one motive for murder.
Michael Amico's richly detailed set is almost a character unto itself. All the action unfolds in Buehl's study with its dark wood walls, imposing stone fireplace and the playwright's macabre collection of antique weaponry.
It doesn't take a psychic to foresee that a few of those weapons will be put into play before the final curtain, and that you may just jump when they do -- even if you know what's coming.