Deathtrap

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 attended a playwriting seminar of Sidney’s. The script is phenomenal, a sure-fire hit--and Sidney is massively jealous. He complains to his wife, Myra, who is their primary financial support at this point. Myra suggests that maybe Sidney could produce Deathtrap, capitalizing a little on the play, but Sidney knows he doesn’t have the temperament of a producer. Not to be discouraged, Myra has an idea that perhaps Sidney could collaborate with Clifford, by “helping” him alter the script a little (though it hardly