Some people are just too smart for their own good. Case in point: Sidney and Clifford from the wicked comedy Deathtrap. Sidney is a famous Broadway playwright known for his mysteries, but right now he’s in a bit of a dry spell. One of his students, Clifford, sends Sidney a copy of a wonderful new play he’s written called Deathtrap. Thinking this could be his ticket back to the big time, Sidney convinces his wife Myra that they should kill Clifford and steal the play. They invite Clifford to dinner, and somewhere between “So good to see you again” and “Would you like some dessert?” Sidney attacks the unsuspecting Clifford, kills him and, with Myra’s help, buries him out in the backyard. Myra’s a little shaken up, but Sidney’s pretty happy about the whole thing – that is, until a not-so-dead-after-all Clifford jumps in through the window and attacks his would-be killers. After a struggle, somebody finally drops dead and the two remaining characters share a passionate kiss in celebration. But wait, who’s kissing? Is it Myra and Sidney? Myra and Clifford? Or, dang, Sidney and Clifford? You have to stick around to the very end to unravel this knot of double-crossing, murderous fun.
Deathtrap runs at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and at 3 p.m. Sunday, October 26, and Sunday, November 2. Through November 8. Ace Theatre, 17011 Bamwood. For information, call 281-587-1020 or visit www.acetheatre.org. $12 to $15.
Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 3 p.m. Starts: Oct. 17. Continues through Nov. 8, 2008
This article appears in Oct 16-22, 2008.