Some Miscasting Weakens Deathtrap

“Deathtrap,” Friday night, Spokane Civic Theatre, continues through Feb.1

I have always gotten a kick out of Ira Levin’s clever thriller, “Deathtrap,” but the kick seemed a bit weaker than usual in the Spokane Civic Theatre’s production, which opened on Friday.

All of Levin’s clever tricks and twists were intact, and once or twice the hair was standing up on the back of my neck. I also thoroughly enjoyed all three of the supporting performances, by Colleen Owen, Jone Campbell Bryan and Rick Hornor.

But somehow the overall impact was dulled.

This was partly because the direction by Pat Owens was literal and straightforward, with little or no attempt to build the suspense or add flair to the proceedings. But mostly it was because the two main characters were miscast, proving once again that a play can be made or broken months before opening night, in the audition hall.

Troy Heppner, who plays the main character, Sidney Bruhl, is a perfectly good actor, with plenty of talent and comic sense. However, he should never have been cast as Sidney Bruhl. Sidney Bruhl is a middle-aged cynic, a sour professorial type. Heppner is more of a comic sidekick type, the kind of actor who should be cast in supporting roles as the wisecracking friend, or as the comic relief.

Michael Caine played Bruhl in the film of “Deathtrap,” and he had the kind of leading man presence that this role demands. Heppner’s version of Sidney Bruhl came across as fussy. Instead of Michael Caine, his character was more like a Nathan Lane or Jason Alexander.

I had a similar difficulty, on a lesser scale, in accepting Tim Brandt as Clifford Anderson. Again, this is not because Brandt lacks talent or presence - he has plenty of both. He just doesn’t have the kind of presence this character requires.

For instance, there are several references to the fact that Clifford is a decathlete, and somewhat of a hunk (the young Christopher Reeve played the part in the movie). Brandt is best described as lanky.

I’m not saying that Owens needs to cast Dan O’Brien in this role, but at least he should keep the physical requirements of the characters in mind during casting.

Theater depends on the audience’s willingness to suspend their disbelief, and in both of these main parts, Owens made the audience’s job harder.

The other three characters in the play were all perfectly cast, and they are reason enough to check out this show.

Jone Campbell Bryan is an absolute hoot as the Dutch psychic Helga Ten Dorp, speaking in a portentous voice about her premonitions. Her sudden “takes,” whenever a thought came upon her, were expertly done and hilarious.

Colleen Owen gave what I thought was the best performance of the evening as the anxious wife, Myra. She has a difficult role, trying to show trust in her husband while at the same time being mad with anxiety over what he might do. She pulls it off with aplomb.

Rick Hornor is also fine as Porter Milgrim, the attorney. He made the most of his part, and I couldn’t help but think - he is exactly the right type to play Sidney Bruhl. But second-guessing is always the easiest part of any endeavor, isn’t it?

, DataTimes