Went to see Deathtrap last night. It’s playing at the Noel Coward Theatre in London, and stars Simon Russell Beale and Jonathan Groff. The play advertises itself as a comedy thriller, and I must say I was a bit apprehensive. I was looking forward to it but comedy thrillers rarely work well, in my opinion.

We had box seats, which for those of you who frequent theatre know is a win/lose situation usually. You get your own box, but you have to sacrifice being able to see the full stage. So it was a wonderful surprise when we sat down and found we were on level with the stage, and had practically no part obstructed from us.

As for the play itself — I’m reminded of a line early on in the play “Even a gifted director couldn’t hurt it”. The two main actors were wonderful. Claire Skinner, who played the wife, left something to be desired, but the other two supporting actors played their roles well. However, it was the writing that was the real hero of the night, the clever dialogue and jokes made me laugh and chortle and clap almost to the point of distracting the actors we were such a short distance from. I can’t remember the last time I attended theatre and was struck by the writing above the acting, sound effects and direction. Deathtrap was a very great experience, and all involved should be proud, but Ira Levin provided them with a play that couldn’t be ruined.

If you live in London I highly suggest getting tickets.