“Deathtrap” – Theatre Royal, Nottingham ★★★☆☆

“Deathtrap”, the second play in this year’s Classic Thriller Season, presented by Tabs Productions, begins with Andrew Ryan’s Sidney Bruhl addressing the audience directly and introducing the play. Not ‘the play’ itself, but the first draft of a play called ‘Deathtrap’ that he has received from an ex-student Clifford (Pavan Maru). Realising that the play is a work of art, playwright Bruhl begins to hatch a plan to murder Clifford and steal the play for himself. Whether he can actually go through with it is a different matter…

The graphic for this year’s Classic Thriller Season

The first act is a masterclass in creating tension. Ryan is formidable yet oddly endearing as the famous playwright who has fallen on hard times, casually namedropping different thriller plays and providing insight into the makings of a good stage show. It occasionally feels like Bruhl is writer Ira Levin’s way of talking directly to us – it wouldn’t go amiss if many of Bruhl’s lines were delivered with a hefty wink to the audience. Ryan plays the character with a superb dose of dry humour, and despite the tension slowly ramping up, there is lots to laugh at here. At times, the commentary is so meta that we aren’t sure whether the characters are discussing Clifford’s play “Deathtrap”, or Ira Levin’s “Deathtrap”. For those in the audience interested in playwrighting and the basic building blocks of theatre, there will be lots to enjoy.

Sidney’s wife Myra (Sarah Wynne Kordas) acts as his conscience, telling Sidney that he can’t possibly go through with this murder, and that even if he were to make a fortune from Clifford’s play, he wouldn’t feel any sense of pride, as the work would not be his own. The back and forth between husband and wife is fascinating to watch, and makes for excellent drama. There are moments where you find yourself holding your breath, waiting to see what the next move will be in this high-stakes game of chicken.

Pavan Maru as Clifford, Andrew Ryan as Sidney and Sarah Wynne Kordas as Myra. Photo credit: Whitefoot Photography

After the carefully escalating tension, there is some welcome comic relief in the form of Susan Earnshaw’s Helga Ten Dorp, the next door neighbour with a slight psychic ability. Earnshaw is an excellent character actress, and this is yet again another wonderful display of her skills, crafting a character that is sure to be memorable even with relatively little stage time. Whether she actually has any sort of psychic ability is left open to interpretation, although her forecasts are delivered with a sense of foreboding that help propel us into the second act.

Unfortunately, the second act fails to live up to the intense first half, as the plot begins to drag and any tension previously built is lost. It is difficult to discuss the second act in any great detail without giving spoilers (even to say who survives into the second act would be giving away too much), but we are treated to a brief appearance from Jeremy Lloyd Thomas as attorney Porter Milgrim, who helps to push the plot along a little. The dialogue becomes a little repetitive, earlier scenes are continually recapped and thoroughly examined by the characters, and it all starts to feel a bit like watching an essay on thriller writing. It is very interesting to break down these different facets of what makes a good thriller, but it feels almost like Levin is patting himself on the back for having crafted such an excellent opening act.

Andrew Ryan as Sidney and Susan Earnshaw as Helga. Photo credit: Whitefoot photography.

The play is entirely set in Bruhl’s study, and Conal Walsh’s set design helps to make the study feel daunting and claustrophobic – the bare rafters stretch over the actors heads, casting creepy shadows thanks to Michael Donoghue’s lighting. The back wall is filled with memorabilia from Bruhl’s previous plays, all different types of murder weapons. The old principle of Chekhov’s gun (that a gun seen onstage should be fired later in the play) has never been more appropriate – pistols, axes, handcuffs and even a crossbow, present on stage throughout, all play key roles at certain points of the script. Bruhl’s study is like a Cluedo game brought to life.

Karen Henson’s direction sees each scene end with a spotlight on Bruhl as he delivers a cheeky aside to the audience, a slight shrug of his shoulders as if to say “of course this would happen, what else would you expect?” Each scene is broken up with a lengthy, and fairly pointless, blackout – the setting doesn’t change, and any tension previously built up is lost as the audience wait for the drama to continue. This is a recurring theme in Tabs Productions’ shows – such blackouts feel unnecessary, and personally I would rather the action continued without these musical interludes.

The story almost runs out of steam as we reach the final scene. There are some interesting (although fairly predictable) twists at the end, and the characters are all fascinating in their own way – whether sinister or humorous, their interactions make for some exciting viewing at points. This is a play with an excellent premise, that loses its way halfway through. Nonetheless, it is a worthy addition to the thriller season, and one that is sure to be a hit for fans of the genre.

Tom Morley, August 2025

Andrew Ryan as Sidney. Photo credit: Whitefoot Photography.

Review Round-up:

East Midlands Theatre – Review: Deathtrap – 3 stars from EMT, who say the play employs “clever stagecraft used to good effect at key moments in the show”

Elemental Theatre Company – Deathtrap – ETC gave the show 4 stars, calling the play “as gripping as it is entertaining, and […] demands to be seen“

LeftLion – Theatre Review: Deathtrap – LeftLion are particularly complementary on the nature of this repertory season, saying the “seasoned cast carry it off with some solid performances all round” and “do a very respectable job of this overly complex caper”