‘Deathtrap’: knowing the who, to figure out the why
MADC are onto a winner at their Clubrooms with a 47-year-old hit that has aged extremely well
Last week, I had the pleasure of going to the MADC Clubrooms in Santa Venera, to watch the first night of their latest production of Ira Levin’s 1978 comedy-thriller, Deathtrap. The choice of play for this intimate production worked well thanks to its fast-paced, quick-witted one-liners as well as several plot-twists, which not only took the audience by surprise but drove it very far from its original expectations.
Director Joe Depasquale’s casting choices were exceptionally good ones, particularly with Richard Godden as Sidney Bruhl, Adrian Farrugia as Clifford Anderson and Angelica Sant as Helga Ten Dorp. Giselle Borg Olivier came up a close second as Myra Bruhl, for what she lacked in projection, she made up for in expression and timing.
The dynamic between Godden and Borg Olivier worked very well and kept up the momentum; but it was the verbal, and physical, sparring which Godden had with Farrugia which really pushed the play in the right direction.
Godden, a relatively new face on the Maltese theatre circuit, has certainly landed a great main role to showcase his ability to play devious characters – which worked well in the intimate setting of the clubrooms’ theatre. Since this Scot has decided to spend part of the year in Malta, I’d say Maltese theatre is very lucky to have him.
Godden executed Levin’s excellent throw-away one-liners to perfection. Farrugia’s subtlety in portraying an earnest young man at the start and shifting to a much darker persona as the play developed, is to be admired. The interactions between Godden and Farrugia required a refined sense of timing which they both managed well – a credit to both, as well as to Depasquale’s direction.
When it came to timing, Borg Olivier’s was equally on par, but Sant’s psychic medium, Helga Ten Dorp, was impeccable in this regard. It is a pleasure to see her make a comeback to the local stage.
Her pauses, followed by fast-paced quips, created several enjoyable moments and made the best of Levin’s very tight and tongue-in-cheek script. Eoin Kennedy, as Sidney Bruhl’s lawyer, helped further the latter part of the plot development in a play that relies very much on the element of surprise.
Deathtrap is very much a whodunnit which exposes the who much earlier than the why. And, in fact, it plays on the audience’s need to know the characters’ motivations. As a play-within-a-play genre, it fits the bill well but goes beyond that in a manner that is more than a little self-aware and deliberately self-deprecating.
What makes this play so very enjoyable and watchable is the crystalline sharpness of the dialogue, especially when executed so well. Combining slower-burning scenes with much faster-paced ones and taking several unexpected turns, it blends the genres of thriller and comedy so seamlessly that it appears to be a unique construct in its own right.
The play was definitely one to watch and enjoy – a night out that kept me on the edge of my seat – whether it be with suspense or with a good chortle or two.