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Domino Theatre
Now playing

Deathtrap

by Ira Levin
directed by Matt Salton
Oct. 17-19, 24-26, Oct. 31-Nov. 1, 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 2, 2:00 p.m.
The Davies Foundation Auditorium
52 Church St., Kingston, ON

Deathtrap

Left to right: Ben Charland, Tom Abram and Moira Demerest.

Seemingly comfortably ensconced in his charming Connecticut home, Sidney Bruhl is a successful writer of Broadway thrillers. But his life isn't all it seems. His great success, a thriller called The Murder Game, is some years in the past now, and as Sidney says, nothing recedes like success. More recently, he has produced a string of flops. Living mainly on his wife Myra's money and accustomed to a lifestyle encouraged by his early success, Sidney now faces a shortage of funds.


Deathtrap

Angie Roberts and Robert Bruce.

A possible break in his fortunes occurs when he receives a script from Clifford Anderson, a student in the seminar he has been conducting at a nearby college. It's a thriller which Sidney recognizes immediately as a potential Broadway hit. Sidney's plan, which he devises with his wife's help, is to offer collaboration to the student, an idea which the younger man quickly accepts.

“The lasting appeal in Deathtrap is that it’s so murderously clever and ferociously funny it doesn’t matter if you’ve seen a stage or film version of it already. You’ll laugh and shudder and scream and squirm along with the people who are experiencing it for the first time.”

- Calgary Herald

Clifford arrives at Sidney and Myra's home, and it soon becomes apparent that Sidney's plan involves something more sinister than a collaboration. Thereafter the plot begins to twist and turn with devilish cleverness and an abundance of thrills and laughter right up to the final, startling moments of the play.

Opening in 1978, Deathtrap had a four-year run on Broadway and a three-year run in London's West End. It won the Mystery Writers' of America Best Play award and was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Play. A film adaptation with Michael Caine, Dyan Cannon and Christopher Reeve appeared in 1982.

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Ira Levin

Ira Levin

Born in New York in 1929, Ira Levin decided on a writing career at the age of 15. He attended Drake University and New York University.

Levin's father wanted him to go into the family's toy business, but agreed to support him for two years while he tried to establish himself as a writer. Within the two years Levin was supporting himself writing scripts for radio and television as well as training films.

His first produced play was No Time for Sergeants, an adaptation of a novel by Mac Hyman, mostly notable for launching Andy Griffith's career. It was later made into a movie and a TV series.

Deathtrap, written in 1978, is Levin's best-known play, but he wrote several others, including Veronica's Room and Critic's Choice. He is also known for a handful of novels that were made into movies, including Rosemary's Baby, The Boys From Brazil, The Stepford Wives and Sliver.

Ira Levin died in New York in 2007.




We would like to acknowledge that this production takes place on the traditional lands of the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe peoples. We honour and give thanks to the land, its inhabitants and their enduring cultures.

Admission $20 (plus Grand Theatre surcharge). Tickets available through the Grand Theatre Box Office, 530-2050 and online, until 2 p.m. on day of performance, and at the door (cash, debit, Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay or Android Pay) on performance nights when available. Seniors and members $16 at the door on Thursdays only. Children and students $10.

Links

Wikipedia: Ira Levin
Wikipedia: Deathtrap
Guardian Obituary