Elgin troupe stages ‘Deathtrap’

Updated: March 1, 2013 11:40AM

A play about murder and two-timing schemes is coming to Elgin.

Independent Players theater troupe presents “Deathtrap” by Ira Levin March 1 to 16 at the Elgin Art Showcase. Show times are at 8 p.m. March 1-2, 8 and 16, and at 3 p.m. Sundays. Larry Boller of Elgin directs.

“It’s a murder mystery. There are twists and turns and some surprises along the way,” he said.

It’s the story of a married playwright who had a big Broadway hit but hasn’t been successful in awhile.

“Now he’s got some writer’s block, and one of his (former) students has sent him a play he claims is very good,” he said. “He says to his wife he should claim it as his own and publish it since he has the connections, and get rid of the kid.”

The student shows up, and before long it’s clear that perhaps the teacher and students are in cahoots, but why?

“We have a big twist and turn in the first act, and in the second act, you have the two playwrights turning on each other,” he said. “By the end of the show, you have two minor characters turning on each other. So there’s lots of twists along the way. You can’t trust anybody.”

Boller described it as a very clever play with a lot of tongue-in-cheek humor and wink-winking to the audience.

“It’s a very entertaining murder mystery,” he said. “The play is wonderfully structured, so at the end of each scene and each act, there are hints to the audience to guess where it’s going next.”

He’s directed “Deathtrap” before, and when the opportunity came up to direct for Independent Players, he suggested this light thriller.

“I’m enjoying it, because my cast is so good,” he said.

There are five people in the cast; including comedic relief in the form of a kooky psychic and stinky lawyer.

“There aren’t any deep themes, other than crime doesn’t pay, but it’s still very entertaining,” he said.

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