Review Roundup: What Did Critics Think of DEATHTRAP at The Cape Playhouse?
By: Alan Henry Aug. 30, 2019
The critics are here! Deathtrap is now playing at the Cape Cod Center for the Arts. Directed by Tony and Drama Desk Award nominee Marcia Milgrom Dodge, performances are scheduled from August 21 - 31 at the historic venue on Cape Cod to wrap up its 93rd season. Find out what critics thought.
Robert Petkoff (All The Way, Anything Goes, Ragtime) playing Sidney, Robbie Simpson (Afterglow) as Clifford, and two-time Tony nominee Alison Fraser (The Secret Garden, Romance/Romance, Gypsy) playing Helga, will be joined by Susan Wands (Coastal Disturbances) as Myra, and Dathan Williams (Show Boat) as Porter Milgrim.
The limited engagement features scenic design by Michael Schweikardt, costume design by Gail Baldoni, lighting design by Jaron Kent Hermansen, and sound design by Joe Palermo. The production stage manager is Kate Ann Wilson, Rick Sordelet serves as the fight director, casting is by Geoff Josselson Casting.
Read the reviews below!
Shannon Goheen, Cape Cod Times: Robert Petkoff as Sidney has the lion's share of the onstage action, and he never misses a beat. He plays it like a nice guy, but he's definitely no such thing, and his disarming demeanor makes you like him - sort of. Same with Robbie Simpson as Clifford, a bubbly and clever up-and-coming playwright who comes across as a good kid with stars in his eyes, except when Simpson's face holds an expression you wouldn't want to see on anyone unless you had police backup waiting nearby.
Kobi Kassal, The Theater Mirror: Robert Petkoff plays Sidney with sneeringly eerie comedic timing. He assumes the role beautifully with a fervor that keeps the audience continually guessing who he really is. Petkoff shines in this role, masterfully finding the nuances of the layered character. Robbie Simpson as Clifford brings a youthful, dapper, devious presence that fleshes out his character. My favorite of the evening was Susan Wands' Myra. Ms. Wands' neurosis is delectable to watch as she gives one of my favorite performances I have seen on the Playhouse stage in recent memory. Dathan Williams delivers a solid performance as Porter Milgrim while the alluring Ms. Alison Fraser brings the funny with her Dutch clairvoyant character Helga ten Dorp. No stranger to the Broadway stage, Ms. Fraser steals the show with one of the most eccentric characters I have seen.
Ellen Petry Whalen, The Cape Cod Chronicle: Tony Award-nominated director Marcia Milgrom Dodge maximizes "Deathtrap's" shock factor and fun. Michael Schweikardt's set design is stunning, with its rustic grandeur. The room is a "handsomely converted stable," complete with a foyer and staircase in the background and French doors on one side of the study and a fieldstone fireplace on the other.
Photo Credit: Emma Quinn
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