IF you enjoy thrills of the white-knuckle variety, you'll love Deathtrap at Blackpool's Grand Theatre.
The clever thriller, starring David Soul (formerly Hutch, of Starsky and Hutch) as Sidney Bruhl, a gruff but endearingly witty writer of hit Broadway plays who is struggling to repeat his earlier successes, has more twists than a Chubby Checker dance convention.
When young writing student Clifford Anderson sends him one of his plays to assess, Bruhl realises it is a sure-fire hit -- one which he would be happy to pass off as his own. So he and his wife (played by Susan Penhaligon) invite the aspiring playwright over to their isolated Connecticut house to discuss the play.
But all is not as it seems. A first, shocking death is only the start of a roller-coaster adventure of deceit and double dealing.
Soul is utterly convincing as Bruhl, who is by turns cold-blooded, funny and long-suffering. He manages to make the character, despite all the evidence, into an engaging and likeable guy. And Penhaligon is the perfect foil as his loyal but highly-strung wife.
The young writer, played by Gerald Kyd (Dr Sean Maddox in Casualty) camps it up wildly and an added helping of humour -- and surprise -- comes in the form of interfering psychic neighbour Helga ten Dorp (Becky Hindley).
Although the biggest and best surprise is in the first act, the action and the twists never flag. Stylish, clever and supremely entertaining, Deathtrap was Broadway's longest-running thriller. It's easy to see why. Deathtrap runs until Saturday at 7.30pm, with a matinee on Saturday at 2.30pm.
Reviewed by Rachel Sills
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