Deathtrap

by:    Ira Levin

By all appearances comfortably ensconced in his charming Connecticut home, Sidney Bruhl is a successful writer of Broadway thrillers. However, he is at present struggling to overcome a “dry spell” which has resulted in a string of failures and a shortage of funds. A possible break in his fortunes occurs when he receives a script from a student in the seminar he has been conducting at a nearby college—a thriller which Sidney recognizes immediately as a potential Broadway hit. Sidney’s plan, which he devises with the help of his wife, Myra, is to offer collaboration to the student. The young author, Clifford Anderson, readily accepts this opportunity to work with the famous playwright. All begins well, but things take a sinister turn when Sidney begins plotting to eliminate Clifford from the picture altogether and claim the play as his own, much to the distress of Myra. Other characters adding humor and complications to the play are Sidney’s lawyer, Portia Milgrim, who accidentally witnesses surreptitious behavior by Sidney, and the psychic neighbor Helga Ten Dorp, who senses that something evil has occurred. Many unexpected turns in the plot keep the audience in suspense until the very end of the play. “Deathtrap” holds the record for the longest running comedy-thriller on Broadway, and was made into a 1982 movie starring Christopher Reeve, Michael Caine, and Dyan Cannon.

***Rated M for Mature audiences: strong language and onstage violence***    Inappropriate for children.