Word: bruhl
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Though the production starts off at a confused, hurried pace, the audience soon becomes intrigued by the world of Sydney Bruhl (Brad Rouse), a soon-to-be has-been playwright who, we are led to believe, would kill for the chance to resuscitate his fading career. When former student Clifford Anderson (Ross Benjamin) sends him a copy of his just finished, extremely promising play entitled Deathtrap, Bruhl invites the awe-inspired youth to bring all the existing drafts to his home for some one-on-one mentoring. Hardly altruistic, Bruhl is creating a deathtrap of his own. As soon...
Even though the rest of the cast isn't quite up to the level of the three most important characters, they don't interfere much. Bruhl's wife Myra (Anne Higgins) is a factor only in the first act: Myra is suitably awkward when Anderson arrives and she ridiculously fears that her husband may actually do him in for the chance at another hit and a trip to the Riviera. And Bruhl's lawyer Porte Migrim (Paolo Carozza) comes by occasionally to act pseudo-everything like the prototypical Westport, Conn. lawyers...
...wood paneled and decorated with antique weapons, a fair number of which get used in the two and a half hours of mayhem. As Bruhl asks early on. "What's the point of owning a mace if you don't use it?" The mace and most of the swords, axes, knives and guns would make any collector proud, but one large cardboard-looking saber in the middle of the back wall stands...
...small cozy feel is an asset; all the action takes place in the one room. Bruhl's study, and the actors move well on the dining hall stage. Lowell House's choice of Deathtrap was a good one. The local production surpasses the Hollywood version which had trouble trying to enlarge the scope of the action. The only slight drawback is that because dead people tend to lie on the floor, people sitting in the back sometimes have trouble seeing what they are doing...
CORPSES DO PLAY an important part in the play since there are five murders in the two acts. The two which need to look the most authentic are chilling. When the envious Bruhl garrotes Anderson, the murder--which did in the chair--is agonizingly long. The strangling is exhausting for both involved and Rossman's face turns hideously red in his futile struggle. By prolonging their theatrical duel and a later bludgeoning, director Beth Schachter reminds the audience that death really isn't that funny and murder is downright terrifying to witness or commit...