Deathtrap

SYNOPSIS

Deathtrap

When Ira Levin’s Deathtrap first appeared on a Broadway stage in the 1970s it was celebrated as a gripping piece of work as a fictional playwright takes some desperate measures to keep his career alive. Audiences and critics alike took to the play with gusto and it would eventually earn a nomination for Best Play at the Tony Awards, paving the way for a future movie adaptation starring Christopher Reeve and Michael Caine.

So whilst the character in his play was suffering from writers’ block, Ira Levin was battling ahead and enjoying a successful career that had begun in the 1950s with the play “No Time for Sergeants”. The late playwright would also go on to pen the likes of “Cantorial” in 1982, plus novels like “Son of Rosemary” in 1997, but whilst his career was varied, his best known play would remain the classic “Deathtrap”.

In it the famous playwright Sidney Bruhl is suffering from writers’ block, which could not have come at a worse time following his recent Broadway flops. Previously a celebrated writer he needs his next work to bring him back to the top of his game and he sees an opportunity when a script from an ex-student, Clifford Anderson, lands at his door. He realises the quality of the work immediately and sets to take the credit for himself, concocting a plan of murder and deceit to make his mark. But all does not go according to plan and this damning world becomes a fixture of the lives of both writers.

Taking on the role of Sidney Bruhl is Simon Russell Beale, who is a familiar face to those that frequent the National Theatre, where he was most recently seen in “London Assurance” and has appeared in a range of productions since the 1990s. Donmar Warehouse audiences will also recognise him for his work in the likes of “Twelfth Night” and “Uncle Vanya”, the latter of which earned him a Laurence Olivier Award in 2003. Over a long career, Beale has also made his mark with the likes of the Royal Shakespeare Company and more and will bring years of experience to his role of the desperate playwright.

Jonathan Groff is set to take on the role of Clifford Anderson, following a successful career on Broadway, whilst the rest of the cast includes Anna Massey, Estelle Parsons (another Broadway regular), Claire Skinner and Terry Beaver.

Deathtrap appears at the Noel Coward Theatre from Tuesday 7th September 2010 (previews from Friday 20th August 2010) until Saturday 22nd January 2011.