Deathtrap at Theatre Three

By Ira Levin

Director/Scenic Designer Jeffrey Schmidt

Lighting Designer Nicole Iannaccone

Costume Designer Christie Vela

Sound Designer Claudia Jenkins Martinez

Props Designer Sarah Barnes

Fight Choreographer David Saldivar

Dialect Coach Jessica D. Turner

Stage Manager Noelle Smith

Production Asst Grace Simmons

Cast

Blake Hackler

Sarah Rutan

Benjamin Stegmair

Christie Vela

Understudies

Kally Duncan

Logan Rhys Hallwas

My thoughts on Deathtrap at Theatre Three or…homicide for the holidays

Just in time to counteract all that holiday cheer, Theatre Three has mounted a sensational production of Ira Levin’s 1978 comedic thriller Deathtrap. This tale of professional jealousy, duplicity, betrayal, murder, and a little paranormal levity gets a first class staging here.

Sidney Bruhl (Blake Hackler), a once successful playwright, lives in the Connecticut home of his wife Myra (Sarah Rutan). In a seminar, Sidney meets Clifford Anderson (Benjamin Stegmair), a handsome young playwright who has written a brilliant new thriller called Deathtrap. Sidney invites Clifford to come over ostensibly to help him “fine tune” the play. Then the body count begins. Complicating the plot are the Bruhl’s neighbor Helga ten Dorp (Christie Vela), a Dutch psychic, who feels the murderous vibes emanating from the Bruhl home and Sidney’s observant attorney Porter Milgrim (Robert San Juan), who has a secret or two of his own. To reveal more of this intricately plotted and darkly humorous story would be criminal.

Director and scenic designer Jeffrey Schmidt has created a beautiful, realistic, country home for the Bruhls. It looks like Ralph Lauren and Alfred Hitchcock collaborated on the set. There’s a leather sofa and all the accoutrements one would expect in an upper middle-class home, but overlooking the room is a wall filled by all sorts of weapons, both modern and historical. The wall looms there like an ever-threatening presence. There’s also excellent lighting by Nicole Iannaccone and sound from Claudia Jenkins Martinez to create the ominous atmosphere.

The cast is as splendid as the set and make “murder most foul” murder most fun. Blake Hackler imbues the central character of Sidney Bruhl with a nervous energy that keeps the audience on edge. He is almost always in motion, navigating the set and handling props like he was putting a jigsaw puzzle together on a timer and he is fascinating to watch. He’s also wonderfully adept at getting laughs with Ira Levin’s witty dialogue. “What’s the point in owning a mace if you don’t use it once in a while?”

Compelling young actor Benjamin Stegmair gives the character Clifford Anderson a sort of controlled anxiousness. His Clifford is charming, confident and a bit cocky. Stegmair also manages through his stance and delivery to give Clifford a suggestion of malice that makes him a worthy foil for Hackler’s Sidney.

Sarah Rutan, looking chic in a 70’s sweater dress courtesy of costumer Christie Vela, is the very picture of supposedly wealthy Connecticut housewife, Myra Bruhl. Rutan gives a brilliantly understated performance as Sidney’s worried and suspicious wife. Ruton’s Myra is at first calm and cool, working on her needlepoint, but grows increasingly anxious as she listens to Sidney and Clifford talk. The skillful Rutan makes Myra’s anxiety and fear palpable.

Far from cool and calm is Christie Vela as the psychic Helga ten Dorp. Vela’s Helga, although Dutch, is more of a Romani fortune teller on steroids. She’s an energetic, hilarious Maria Ouspenskaya running around the Bruhl home clutching her shawl, sensing murder and mayhem throughout the room and making predictions with her exaggerated movements and heavy Dutch accent. This is a role tailor made for Vela and she is a comic marvel as Helga.

Robert San Juan is attorney Porter Milgrim. Porter appears to be a proper, reserved New Englander, but, through Helga’s ESP, we learn that is not the case. San Juan has a wonderful presence and a great theatrical voice. (Someone needs to revive The Man Who Came to Dinner.as San Juan would be an amazing Sheridan Whiteside) San Juan and Vela bring unexpected hilarity to the final moments of the play.

Director Jeffrey Schmidt makes Deathtrap delightful, suspenseful fun and a great escape from all the candy canes and sugar cookies. He even includes a nod to a fairly famous Sondheim murderer. It would be a crime to miss this Deathtrap.

*Due to illness in the cast, I saw Deathtrap twice in order to see all the leads in their roles. I saw both understudies, Kally Duncan and Logan Rhys Hallwas, go on and both gave excellent performances.

*Take a look at the Deathtrap set on @dfwcenterstage TikTok