Overview
Synopsis
In Ira Levin’s classic comedic thriller, Deathtrap, a washed-up playwright finds a chance to rise to the top once more, a shot he’d be willing to kill for. Sidney Bruhl hasn’t written a hit play for 18 years when he receives a script from a former student, Clifford Anderson, that’s a guaranteed success. His wife, Myra, suggests the two men could collaborate; Sidney jokes that it’d be just as easy to murder the young man and steal the script for his own. When Clifford arrives later that evening, no one--not even the visiting psychic--could predict where the dark events of the night will go. Who is innocent? Who only seems that way? Deathtrap is a sharply funny play full of twists and turns that keep an audience on the edge of their seats. Is anyone really safe when a man sees a clean shot at success?
Show Information
- Book
- Ira Levin
- Category
- Play
- Age Guidance
- Thirteen Plus (PG-13)
- Number of Acts
- 2
- First Produced
- 1978
- Genres
- Comedy, Dark Comedy
- Settings
- Contemporary, Unit/Single Set
- Time & Place
- Sidney Bruhl's study in Westport, Connecticut
- Cast Size
- small
- Licensor
- Dramatists Play Service
- Ideal For
- College/University, Community Theatre, High School, Professional Theatre, Regional Theatre, Small Cast, Star Vehicle Female, Star Vehicle Male, Mostly Male Cast, Includes Adult Characters
Context
Deathtrap is the most popular play by author and playwright Ira Levin. After an out-of-town tryout at Boston’s Wilbur Theatre, Deathtrap premiered on Broadway at the Music Box Theatre on February 26, 1978. The production was directed by Robert Moore and starred John Wood (Sidney Bruhl), Marian Seldes (Myra Bruhl), Victor Garber (Clifford Anderson), Marian Winters (Helga ten Dorp), and Richard Woods (Porter Milgrim). Deathtrap received rave reviews and was nominated for four Tony Awards --
to read the context for Deathtrap and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Plot
ACT ONE
Sitting in his study in Westport, Connecticut, playwright Sidney Bruhl is finishing reading a new play by one of his former students. The room is decorated with souvenirs of Sidney’s past theatrical successes: framed production photos, real and fake weapons used in his thrillers. It’s been 18 years since Sidney penned a real hit, and his desperation for a comeback is reaching near critical levels.
The play, Deathtrap, was written by a young writer, Clifford Anderson, who
to read the plot for Deathtrap and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
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Lead |
Male |
Non-singer |
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Lead |
Female |
Spoken |
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Lead |
Male |
Spoken |
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Supporting |
Female |
Spoken |
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Supporting |
Male |
Spoken |
Songs
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
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Videos
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Themes, Symbols & Motifs
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