Theater Review: Deathtrap: A Thriller in Two Acts

Ira Levin’s Deathtrap:  A Thriller in Two Acts
Rating: 3 1/2 stars out 5 
Runs through Oct. 25; Thurs., Fri. and Sat., 7:30 p.m., Sun., 3 p.m., at Ruth Eckerd Hall’s Murray Studio Theatre. $20. rutheckerdhall.com.

It's been a killer year for Hat Trick Theatre. The company has begun its first run as the resident theater company of Ruth Eckerd Hall.

Not a fledgling company by any stretch, Hat Trick began in 2004 and has camped out at the Straz's Shimberg Playhouse and in Hudson before that, producing shows featuring some of the Tampa Bay area's best talent.

For its debut at Murray Studio Theatre, the company has recruited another crack cast and constructed one of the coolest sets you'll see all year. Flanked by some impressive weaponry, courtesy of Gaither Blade and Bling, Ira Levin’s Deathtrap: A Thriller in Two Acts revives a Halloween-friendly suspense thriller by the famed author of Rosemary's Baby. The 1978 play reveals through both high drama and camp how ego and ambition can be deadly influences on a writer. It all takes place in the age of typewriters, clunky phones and carbon copies, and thankfully the show retains its '70s-era vintage charm with references to all of the above.

Deathtrap's story centers on Sidney Bruhl, an aging playwright struggling to make a comeback. Local favorite Brian Shea is distinguished, erudite and amusingly pompous as the esteemed murder-mystery writer who is desperate to end his dry spell but hasn't quite licked his years-long affliction of writer's block, resorting to stealing work of another writer (or so we think).

Jamie Jones is a formidable foil as Clifford Anderson, a young protege who, unlike Bruhl, is brimming with new ideas and talent.  Betty-Jane Parks delivers an impressively nuanced portrayal of Sydney's wife, Myra, revealing complementary shades of a  doting but strong. Eddie Gomez capably co-stars as a lawyer and Dana Barth Kovar pulls off a Dutch accent to near perfection as the wacky psychic next door.

Jack Holloway directs, providing taut suspense aided by the moody lighting of Thomas Bowersox and elaborate set design by Kristen Garza (with the help of stage manager Megan Lamasney, assistant stage manager Jarrett W. Koski, graphic designer Bethany Fisher and props person Cindy Davis).

The production's only downside is Levin's overwritten script (apropos for a play about writers) but the cast's superb performances and the atmospheric touches make Deathtrap a must-see.

Speaking of, one of the best aspects of the play was the suspenseful score performed live by J. Elijah Cho on piano and Heather Blalock on violin.

This article appears in Oct 15-21, 2015.