At the height of my tennis career, if
I watched a professional tennis match on TV, I immediately would want to grab
my racket and head for the courts, filled with energy and inspiration. That is
how I felt after watching Great Lakes Theatre’s production of “Deathtrap”
written by Ira Levin and directed with robust insanity by Charles Fee. No, not
to play tennis, but hit the boards and act my face off.
Great Lakes Theater is Cleveland, Ohio's professional
classic theater company. Founded in 1962, Great Lakes is the second-largest
regional theater in Northeast Ohio. It specializes in large-cast classic plays
with a strong foundation in the works of Shakespeare and features an
educational outreach program. The company performs its main stage productions
in rotating repertory at its state-of-the-art new home at the Hanna Theatre,
Playhouse Square, which reopened on September 20, 2008. The organization shares
a resident company of artists with the Idaho Shakespeare Festival, which
current Artistic Director Charles Fee engineered. Great Lakes Theater was
formerly known as Great Lakes Theater Festival, which continues to be its legal
name. “Festival” was dropped from the classic theater company’s business name
to better reflect its September through May season, and programming format.
Written in 1978, “Deathtrap” holds the record for the
longest running comedy-thriller on Broadway, and was also nominated for the
Tony Award for Best Play. Cunningly clever and comically twisted, “Deathtrap” is
a murder mystery masterpiece that keeps you on the edge of your seat, trying to
figure out where the madness ends. When a once successful Broadway playwright
struggles to overcome a dry spell that’s resulted in a string of flops and a
shortage of funds, anxiety ensues. His fortunes turn when one of his students
shares a brilliant new script with blockbuster potential. Resolved to resurrect
his collapsing career, the covetous playwright conceives of a treacherous trap
to snare the script and take credit for its creation. Murderous machinations
result, springing to a surprising conclusion.
The technical and creative elements of this production
deserve strong accolades. Scenic Designer Russell Metheny knocks it out of the
park with his single set masterpiece. Sound and Lighting Designers, Richard B.
Ingraham and Rick Martin, provide razor sharp effects to greatly enhance this
journey of whodunit and what the……! Costume Designer Alex Jaeger provides
terrific visions of town and country, popped collars, psychic eccentricity, and
dwindling wealth.
The professional actors of this company deserved, and
received, a standing ovation. The cast is a classic exhibition of great casting
and actors at the top of their game. Watching Sidney Bruhl (the delightful Tom
Ford) navigate through his plotting and chicanery, is like hopping on a
mechanical bull and just holding on for dear life. Tracee Patterson
(Cleveland’s answer to Meryl Streep), brings emotional chaos, conniving
realness and misplaced loyalty to Myra Bruhl. Nick Steen enters the picture as
Clifford Anderson, the student/secretary, with superhero looks and acting chops
that deftly create a sense of innocence, greed, cunning, and eventually horror.
Helga Ten Dorp, the neighborhood psychic, is played with comedic bliss by Lynn
Allison. She inhabits Helga with a dramatic sense of “ah ha” moments, that
would certainly move her to the front of the line for “the next AHS supreme”.
Aled Davies adds just the right touch of classic and comedic flair to the suspicious,
and opportunist attorney Porter Milgrim.
This cast is a blast. I felt like I had only been in the
theatre for a half an hour, because the pace is excellent. I wish I could have
joined them for happy hour for act three. Get yourself out to see this show. It
is a delightful whodunit which serves up an evening of artists to cherish.
Kevin Joseph Kelly
2/21/14 Staff and Cast:
Director: Charles Fee
Cast:
Lynn Allison - Helga Ten Dorp
Aled Davies - Porter Milgrim
Tom Ford - Sidney Bruhl
Tracee Patterson - Myra Bruhl
Nick Steen - Clifford Anderson
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Tickets and Press
February 21 - March 16
Showtimes:
7:30pm Wednesdays
7:30pm Thursdays
7:30pm Fridays
1:30pm and 7:30pm Saturdays (no matinee on 2/22)
3pm Sundays
Tickets:
$13-$70 Reserved Seating
(216) 241-6000
Order Tickets Online
Location:
Hanna Theatre at Playhouse Square
2067 East 14th St.
Cleveland, OH 44115
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