Say it don't spray it, Jonathan Groff... Don't worry though, you're still good-looking.

Earlier on this lovely Tuesday night, Leanne Kridl and I went to see the play "Deathtrap," with Jonathan Groff and Simon Russell Beale at the Noel Coward Theatre.  Going into this play with high expectations for the lovely "Jesse St. James" of "Glee," as well as having heard great reviews from multiple friends, I did not leave disappointed.  

Attending with a fellow Gleek (sorry Leanne, I sold you out on this highly public blog), Jonathan Groff was the main attraction.  However, by the end, the performances of the five actors proved to be equally impressive.  Simon Russell Beale, whose previous work I was somewhat familiar with, was excellent as the treacherous but blundering, over-the-hill has-been playwright. Claire Skinner, as the air-headed and innocent wife of the writer Sidney Bruhl, was also very engaging, despite her part finishing early in the first act.  Throughout the entirety of the play, I was completely convinced by all the actors' performances, and they all seemed to be truly engaged in their roles. 

The thing that struck me most about the play, however, was the way it was organized as a play within a play within a play... et cetera, et cetera.  As the action progressed, the plot became more and more complex, as layer after layer was added on.  At first it was just a play about a playwright, then a play about a playwright who's writing a play, then play about a playwright who's writing a play about a playwright and the play he's writing.  Despite this impressive complexity, the play was easy enough to follow, and any confusion was I'm sure the intention of the writers and directors.  It made for a very entertaining narrative.  This play-within-a-play aspect of the performance was given even more richness by the way the writers added technical discussion of the way plays are structured and designed.  The talk about the one-room set, the five characters, the action-packed first act followed by the slower progression of the second act, all brought comedic depth to the clever structure of the play we were watching right there inside the Noel Coward Theatre.  I really enjoyed this interesting twist to a typical murder-thriller narrative.  

The only complaint I have about the play (as I think Leanne will agree with in her own blog post... hey Leanne), was the excruciating detail I could see from the VERY front row of the theatre.  Sorry, Jonathan Groff, I think you're extremely attractive, but I don't want to see your projectile saliva traveling across the stage five inches from my face.  Simon Russell Beale, that sorta goes for you too. Other than that, "Deathtrap" was awesome, and I would definitely recommend the exciting and very entertaining play to friends (and especially fellow Gleeks).

Leigh Mitnick