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Stars explained: * A production of no real merit
with failings in all areas. ** A production showing evidence of not
enough time or effort, or even talent, and which never breathes any real
life into the piece – or a show lumbered with a terrible script. *** A
good enjoyable show which might have some small flaws but has largely
achieved what it set out to do.**** An excellent show which shows a
great deal of work and stage craft with no noticeable or major
flaws.***** A four star show which has found that extra bit of magic
which lifts theatre to another plane. |
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An accent on Murder Deathtrap
**** IT SEEMS that a good murder mystery is the stock item for a theatre's winter programme as often they are always set on some awful dark night with a howling wind and some well-placed lightning. So it's no surprise that the Nonentities are
digging up Ira Levin's skillfully crafted Deathtrap during this bitterly
cold February. Deathtrap is almost a blatant exercise in how to
write a stage thriller as Levin openly deconstructs the necessary
ingredients of such a play for the audience. It's as if he actually
despised the whole set up but in doing so has written one of the most
enduring pieces of its kind. No matter how many times you see it though, the
sight of a physical murder, even acted out, is not pleasant to watch and
never fails to draw the gasps from an attentive audience.
With more red herrings, twists and turns than a
maze full of fish mongers, Levin's plot features an older successful,
but now clueless playwright, engaging the help of a younger writer to
assist with more than the writing of just a few dramatic ideas. Chris Clarke plays the aging Sidney Bruhl who to
his credit manages to deliver a solid workmanlike performance
throughout. The play is set in Connecticut and Mr Clarke
seemed to relocate that to the Bronx with a broad New York Italian
accent. Effective as it was you did feel that at any time he might pull
out a sub machine gun and `fill us all with lead.' It was that subtlety that was missing from much
of play and there was a little too much `selling‘ from every one of the
intention of murder or impending doom. Much to his credit though, as the
role of Bruhl is quite an undertaking, Clarke did a fine job, stalling
only once and kept up a great deal of energy throughout his performance. The younger playwright Clifford Anderson was
played by Nathan Lawrence who again did a great job of delivering this
complex text and created some very convincing fight scenes with Clarke. Sidney's wife Myra Bruhl was played by Sarah
Isaacs and though she and Sidney made a convincing pairing there was an
air of doubt and panic a little too early on about her Husband's evil
intentions. The Bruhls are joined occasionally by the crazy
Physic, Helga Van Dorp, played by Vilma Watson who slipped in an out of
an assortment of Nordic and Germanic accents while spiriting nicely
around the stage. Brett Westwood was Porter Milgrim, Bruhls legal
representative and Brett chose not engage in the accent stakes opting
for a more local tone which oddly is closer to how they sound in New
England anyway. Director Ross Workman seems to have focused more
on the humour in Deathtrap and while it's missing some of the finer
details of jealousy and ambition it still makes for a gripping and
gruesome night of entertainment. To 02-03-12. Jeff Grant |
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