Suspense thrillers are few and far between in Colombo’s theatrical world , where musicals and comedies usually have first place in directors affections. The Performing Arts Company, better known for its farces , spread it’s wings dramatically with “The Deathtrap” by Ira Levin last week at the Bishop’s College auditorium.
The story of a failed playwright who concocts a plan to gain financial freedom together with a mysterious stranger, the play is full of startling twists and turns that keeps one on the edge of the proverbial seat.
Not to put too fine a point on it, it is a play about a play that doesn’t exist but then comes to life only to be written as the real play goes along. Confusing ? Not really, just extremely clever. Sidney Bruhl , the failed playwright was portrayed by Jehan Aloysious, an actor who shows an abudance of talent but who needs to break out of the rich, fulsome, plummy tones that dog his delivery in every single play, reducing him to an almost Victorian caricature of an “ACK - TOR” (my italics, his theatrics). I’d like to see him play a sleazy and incoherent janitor or a triumphantly gibbering maniac, that would really be a stretch of his abilities.
Needra Williams as the patient Mrs. Bruhl seemed a bit too frumpy and dowdy to be the kind of person who indulges in herbal recreation, as the plot intimated, but she held her own with the pivotal role she played.
However, in the first act of the play , the witty dialogue between the couple that Levin injected into the would-be domestic melodrama seemed to ring hollow.
Shannon Raymond was the cold hearted Clifford , a playwright in the making whose reserves of cunning are greater than his mastery of dialogue. At a certain point, his ability to show pure evil, malice personified was indeed chilling, though his deadpan features need livening up a little.
The sexual tension between Bruhl and Clifford needed to be a little more clearly defined - in its amorphous state, it did not serve to provide enough motivation for the heinous crimes committed.
Jeritza McCarter aimed completely over the top with Helga Ten Dorp, Dutch psychic whose premonitions and flashes seemed almost as vivid as her choice of clothing - a nice bit of comic relief, ja ?
The set design deserves a special mention for its detail and complexity, sporting a grisly array of weapons ranging from maces to crossbows on its walls - though if it was supposed to represent a historically listed British building , it should have gone easy on the yellow walls which made it look like some adobe hacienda.
The lighting was only used to spooky atmospheric effect a couple of times, most of the production being carried out in well lit surroundings - greater use of light and shadow would have definitely improved the air of suspense and fear. At one point, when Clifford bursts through the french windows, the audience is well aware of what is about to happen since the smoke machine has been puffing away for the past two minutes, telegraphing in no uncertain terms “LOOK HERE, THIS IS WHERE SOMETHING IS GOING TO HAPPEN” - a lighter finger on the release button would have shocked the audience a little more.
The moody, ominous score by Rohan De Livera owed much to the Hitchcockian opus, especially the closing crescendo which paid direct tribute the classic screeching chords from “Psycho” .
The use of a custom built score is a powerful accompaniment on the whole , and a move that more directors should think of using.
After a long time did I see a play which managed to scare the bejabbers out of me like this one did , terrifically suspenseful and with solid dynamics propelling it forward. Great Houdini’s handcuffs Batman, I’m looking forward to the next one.
Calm and serene or cold and un welcoming ? Blue is the coolest colour in the spectrum but it is also considered the most peaceful. This amibiguity is echoed in the nature of the colour itself. The sea and sky seem blue to us, but this appearance is in fact a reflection of blue light on a transparent substance in eyes as well as air and water.
Many people name blue as their favourite primary because they feel more at ease with it than with vivid yellow or red. It’s a colour that’s rarely out of fashion for long because it suits every complexion, but it can be easier to wear than to use in the home.
People seem to complain of the cold sooner in a room painted blue than in one decorated in warmer colours, so when you are planning a blue scheme it’s wise to add a contrasting colour such as gold, pink or apricot - a version of orange which is blue’s true complement-which will provide warm accents throughout the room.
There are so many versions of blue that it can be difficult to establish which is the ‘true blue’- or which is the most pleasant to live with .
At its extremes, blue blends with purple to form lavender or merges with green to make turquoise and jade.
Mixed with back, blue becomes navy and mingled with grey produces azure.
In the centre is cornflower or Alice blue , a bright and sunny colour which looks pretty with cream and apricot.
Pale blues can be difficult to use - they are the tones most likely to appear cold- but they look delicate mixed with lilac, pale green and bone or white and they make good contrasts with texured materials in natural warm browns like timber, cane and cork.
Strong blues look effective on furniture, whether painted or upholstered, and work well on the walls and ceilings of bedrooms and dining rooms where they seem both impressive and calm.
Blue is a host of colours wrapped up in one. It can be bright as cornflowers or forget-me-nots or as pale as azure or ice. It turns lavender when mixed with violet, and turquoise when blended with green, its neighbours in the spectrum of colours. The darkest blues, such as navy, can act in the same way as more neutral colours to define a scheme, while smoky shades provide adaptable colours especially suitable for background use on walls, carpets or furnishings, making an effect that’s more colourful than grey, more suitable than brighter blues.
Continue to Mirror Magazine page 3 - Fashion in every form - A ‘model’ wedding
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