Deathtrap (play)

This article is about the Ira Levin play. For other uses, see Deathtrap.

Deathtrap is a 1978 play by Ira Levin that involves many plot twists. It was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play and holds the record as the longest-running comedy-thriller on Broadway. In 1982, it was adapted into a film of the same name starring Christopher Reeve, Michael Caine, and Dyan Cannon.

Deathtrap
Written by	Ira Levin
Characters	Sidney Bruhl Clifford Anderson Myra Bruhl Helga ten Dorp Porter Milgrim
Date premiered	Feb 26, 1978
Original language	English
Genre	Mystery
Setting	Westport, Connecticut
IBDB profile

1 Synopsis
2 History
3 Productions
4 References
5 External links

Synopsis

Sidney Bruhl is a once-successful playwright whose last several productions have flopped at the box office. He then receives a script by a novice writer named Clifford Anderson for a stage thriller entitled Deathtrap. Bruhl tells his wife Myra that the script is brilliant and he then concocts a murder plot whereby he will offer to help Anderson rewrite the script, but will instead kill him and pass the play off as his own. Needless to say, the plan quickly spirals out of control.

History

Deathtrap is Ira Levin's best-known play. It holds the record as the longest-running comedy-thriller on Broadway and brought Levin his second Edgar Award.

Productions

Deathtrap enjoyed a four year run on Broadway, opening under the direction of Robert Moore on February 26, 1978 at the Music Box Theatre, moving to the Biltmore Theatre on January 7, 1982, and closing on June 13 of that year. The opening cast featured:

Sidney Bruhl - John Wood
Clifford Anderson - Victor Garber
Myra Bruhl - Marian Seldes
Helga ten Dorp - Marian Winters
Porter Milgrim - Richard Woods

Seldes appeared in every one of the play's 1,809 performances - a feat that earned her a mention in the Guinness Book of World Records as "most durable actress".^[1]^[2]

Cast Replacements as Sidney included Stacey Keach, John Cullum, Robert Reed, and Farley Granger.