It’s a pleasure having fine theater within walking distance of my home. Taking advantage of a rare Wednesday off, I walked to Skokie Theatre for a matinee performance of Deathtrap.

Deathtrap came with an impressive résumé. Nominated for four Tony Awards, it holds the record for the longest-running comedy-thriller on Broadway.

Produced by Wendy Kaplan and directed by Christa Retka, Deathtrap is the story of struggling famous playwright Sidney Bruhl’s plan to murder a young writer to steal his script. It’s a simple premise, but the story is anything but simple as it all plays out. The many twists and turns keep the audience guessing right to the very end.

The dark humor of scenes with Bruhl, his wife Myra and writer Clifford Anderson is balanced with light-hearted appearances by Helga Ten Dorp, who perfectly stops short of going over the top.

MadKap Productions is known for outstanding performances on stage and behind the scenes, and Deathtrap is no exception. Michael Lomenick (Sidney Bruhl), Jeanne Dwan (Myra Bruhl), Beck Damron (Clifford Anderson), BEKA (Helga Ten Dorp) and Aidan Sternberg (Porter Milgrim) have great chemistry. They move flawlessly through the many developments.

Michael Lomenick and Jeanne Swan photo by Laine Rogers – MadKap Productions – Skokie Theatre

Beck Damron photo by Laine Rogers – MadKap Productions – Skokie Theatre

Aidan Sternberg and BEKA photo by Laine Rogers – MadKap Productions – Skokie Theatre

Running 2 hours and 30 minutes, Deathtrap never drags yet never loses the audience. Switching between fast-paced and deliberate, Deathtrap keeps the audience intrigued.

Skokie Theatre has plenty more great events of all sorts on the schedule. There are musical performances (The Heart & Soul of The Beatles and more), a film (Return to Babylon) and a Broadway show (The Creation of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum) still to come this year. I am sure I’ll be making that short walk a few more times before the new year.

— John Wroblewski, online writer