McCarter Presents Anthony Shaffer's SLEUTH

In a remote manor in the British countryside, a celebrated murder mystery writer drafts his next great detective novel. But when he invites his wife's lover to his home for a glass of scotch, it suddenly becomes unclear where the fictional plot ends and the real game begins. Sleuth will keep you on the edge of your seat with a suspenseful game of cat-and-mouse filled with plotted murder, jealousy, and revenge. The production runs March 10 through March 29 in McCarter's Matthews Theatre. More about the production at mccarter.org.

McCarter has gained a well-deserved reputation for producing masterworks of the murder-mystery genre, including world premieres such as Ken Ludwig's adaptation of Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express and Ken Ludwig's Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery, as well as an invigorating look at the classics as with The Mousetrap. Now, director Adam Immerwahr (A Christmas Carol, The Understudy, The Mousetrap) returns with a fresh look at Anthony Shaffer's Sleuth, a play originally born as a psychologically subversive look at the classic murder mystery story. After initially shocking audiences during its original Tony award-winning run, Shaffer's masterpiece continues to impact the genre, most recently as a direct inspiration to Rian Johnson's all-star blockbuster mystery Knives Out.

About the enduring appeal of the story, director Adam Immerwahr remarked "Sleuth is a terrific, suspenseful story, in part because it's ABOUT terrific, suspenseful stories. The play turns the standard murder mystery completely on its head, and in the process takes these characters, and the audiences, on a ride which is completely unexpected. It's a psychological thriller that asks the audience to figure out not only "whodunit", but "who will do it?"

The principal cast includes Derek Smith (Andrew Wyke), veteran of three critically acclaimed McCarter productions directed by Steven Wadsworth: Mirandolina, The Barber of Seville, and The Marriage of Figaro. His Broadway credits include a memorable run as Scar in The Lion King, The Green Bird, The Government Inspector, and many more. Mr. Smith is joined onstage by John Tufts (Milo Tindle), seen nationwide at the nation's most esteemed regional theatres including Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Arena Stage, Actors Theatre of Louisville, and The Goodman among others. Also featured in the production are Phillip Farrar, Harold K. Newman, and Roger Purnell all making their McCarter debuts.

The creative team includes scenic designer Alexander Dodge (McCarter's Mousetrap, Broadway's Anastasia, and A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder); costume designer Ivania Stack (numerous D.C. area credits at Woolly Mammoth, Arena Stage, and more); lighting designer Nancy Schertler (McCarter's Uncle Vanya, Broadway's Full Moon); Tony and Obie award winning sound designer Darron L West (McCarter's Murder on the Orient Express, Into the Woods and many others); wig and makeup designer Carissa Thorlakson (McCarter's A Christmas Carol); fight director J. Allen Suddeth (Broadway's Aladdin, Angels in America); and dialect coach Julie Foh. Cheryl Mintz and Alison Cote are production stage manager and stage manager, respectively. Casting by Caparelliotis Casting.

Sleuth runs March 10 through March 29 in the Matthews Theatre. Tickets start at $25 and are available online at mccarter.org, by phone at (609) 258-2787, or in person at the McCarter Ticket Office, located at 91 University Place in Princeton.

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