PATH (Performing Arts Theater of the Handicapped) takes up the challenge of playwright Ira Levin's Deathtrap. They handle the complex mix of comedy and murderous plot twists with aplomb. In Deathtrap, playwright Sydney Bruhl, portrayed by Gary Zupkas, has an epidemic-sized case of writer's block. His last plays have been major bombs. A former student has submitted an excellently-crafted play. His wife, Myra, played by Karen McDaniel-Kopicki, conspires with him to murder the young playwright and steal his work. Deathtrap is a spoof on writing murder mysteries. The tension and twists of Dial M For Murder and Sleuth, which inspired it, work well here. Around every turn is Levin's ironic sense of humor. The audience can never be completely sure of what is and what is not reality. Are we watching a play in progress? Are we watching the acting-out of a play being written? Or both?
The first act starts slowly as husband and wife set up the plot, as well as some of the humor that runs throughout the play. Both movement and pace take a backseat to exposition. However, the physical contrast between Zupkas and McDaniel-Kopicki plays nicely. Her frail Myra, who has a bad heart, is convincing, while his strength and size easily dominate her and the stage. When the young playwright, Clifford Anderson (Lee Roi Howell), enters, the pace picks up. Howell's portrayal of the many sides of Anderson gives insight into a new co-conspirator, as the story takes its first major twist. The balance of power shifts between the men throughout the production. Frailties of both counter their strengths as each becomes a threat to the other.
The delight of the evening are three appearances of Anita Honey as Helga Ten Dorp, a neighbor with ESP.
Honey is amusing as the eccentric who can sense all that was and will be going on in Sydney Bruhl's study. Helga is the true story teller in the play, giving the audience a myriad of clues. Her performance is joyful right up to her last speech, "Be careful, knife is sharp." And so is all of her dialogue. Gus Garcia's set and Barbara Martin's set dressing provide a homey, well lived-in environment. The walls are covered with one-sheets of Bruhl's theatrical successes and his huge collection of weapons, including maces, handcuffs, guns, and a vast assortment of blades of all types. Lighting effects work quite well. The costumes fit the contemporary setting.
Deathtrap is a delightful who-dun-what-to-whom play with a broad sense of humor. While the production has a few rough edges, it is definitely an audience-pleaser.
