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Deathtrap! Great Lakes Theater Social Media Night

Blog Date
Author(s)
Julie Smith
Kevin F. Smith
Stuart O. Smith, Jr.
Tags
Cleveland
Social Media
Theatre
PlayhouseSquare

Deathtrap! Great Lakes Theater Social Media Night

On a cold Saturday night, Stuart and Julie arrived at the theater in excited anticipation! It was another Social Media Night, this time for Deathtrap at Playhouse Square's Hanna Theatre (@PlayhouseSquare)! Stuart had seen the play years ago on Broadway for a college theater class, but had forgotten the details of the show. He only remembered that it was a great show, and he was glad to see it now as a Great Lakes Theater (@GLTFCleveland) production.

 
Playbill: Deathtrap 1979
Enlarge Playbill: Deathtrap 1980
 

We were warmly greeted by Chris Fornadel, Audience Engagement Manager of Great Lakes Theater, and were directed to the "Salon" for the pre-show discussion entitled "Mysteries Solved: A Conversation With Les Roberts." Les Roberts (LesRoberts.com - @Les_Roberts) is best known for his series of 25 mystery novels set in Cleveland, which feature Detective Milan Jacovich. Julie has read and enjoyed several of these books. The theatre had Mr. Roberts' books for sale in their gift shop. We learned that Deathtrap holds the record for being the longest-running mystery play ever on Broadway. It is an interesting blend of mystery and comedy. As Mr. Roberts explained, "Even though there's a murder, there has to be something to smile about."

Mysteries Solved: A Conversation With Les Roberts
Enlarge Photo

After the pre-show talk, we went to our seats, which were in an historic box. It was in an area where we were permitted to tweet during the show while not disturbing the other theatergoers. It was a terrific view! Actually, there are no bad spots in the intimate, 550-seat Hanna Theatre. The show was very exciting, but we cannot say much more than that, or we would spoil the surprises! The play is FULL of surprises, and his a must-see if you like thrillers with a hint of humor.

Great Lakes Theater Deathtrap
Enlarge To Read Image

Promo Code: GLT

This production of Deathtrap runs through March 16, 2014. You can purchase Deathtrap tickets by going online to GreatlakesTheater.org, calling 216.241.6000, or visiting the PlayhouseSquare Ticket Office. Be sure to use the promo code "GLT" for Great Lakes Theater shows this season.

Tweets and Retweets

Here are the tweets and retweets that Stuart shared about the play and social media night. They include the online experiences of the attendees (we were given special permission to tweet during the show), and photos taken at the theatre. We were not allowed to take photos of the actual stage, so we included the official Great Lakes Theater photos and video below.

You can see more online by following the #DeathtrapHannaCLE hash tag, and of course following @GLTFCleveland and @PlayhouseSquare on Twitter.

Official Playbill, Video & Photos

Here is the official video and photos from Great Lakes Theater's production of Deathtrap, plus an interactive playbill. Additional information can be found on the theater's Deathtrap web page, including links to reviews of the show.

 

 

 

Enlarge Photos
Actors Tom Ford (as playwright Sidney Bruhl) and Tracee Patterson (as his wife Myra Bruhl) share the scintillating spotlight in the Great Lakes Theater production of Broadway's longest running comic thriller "Deathtrap" at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)Actors Tom Ford (as playwright Sidney Bruhl) and Tracee Patterson (as his wife Myra Bruhl) share the scintillating spotlight in the Great Lakes Theater production of Broadway's longest running comic thriller "Deathtrap" at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)Actors Nick Steen (left, as the young writer Clifford Anderson) and Tom Ford (right, as the seasoned playwright Sidney Bruhl) share a seemingly innocuous toast in the Great Lakes Theater production of Broadway's longest running comic thriller "Deathtrap" at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)Suspense builds when actors Nick Steen (front, as the young writer Clifford Anderson) and Tom Ford (behind, as the seasoned playwright Sidney Bruhl) share a surprising moment in the Great Lakes Theater production of Broadway's longest running comic thriller "Deathtrap" at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)Actors Nick Steen (front, as the young writer Clifford Anderson) and Tom Ford (behind, as the seasoned playwright Sidney Bruhl) dissect some devilish details in the Great Lakes Theater production of Broadway's longest running comic thriller "Deathtrap" at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)Actors Lynn Allison (left, as psychic Helga Ten Dorp) and Tracee Patterson (right, Myra Bruhl) share a mysterious moment in the Great Lakes Theater production of Broadway's longest running comic thriller "Deathtrap" at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)Actors Tom Ford (as playwright Sidney Bruhl) and Tracee Patterson (as his wife Myra Bruhl) share the scintillating spotlight in the Great Lakes Theater production of Broadway's longest running comic thriller "Deathtrap" at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)Actors Nick Steen (right, as the young writer Clifford Anderson) and Tom Ford (left, as the seasoned playwright Sidney Bruhl) take center stage at opposing typewriters, one electric and one manual, in the Great Lakes Theater production of Broadway's longest running comic thriller "Deathtrap" at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)Actors Aled Davies (left, as lawyer Porter Milgrim) and Nick Steen (right, as the young writer Clifford Anderson) face off in the Great Lakes Theater production of Broadway's longest running comic thriller "Deathtrap" at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)Actors Tom Ford (right, as the seasoned playwright Sidney Bruhl) and Aled Davies (left, as Sidney's lawyer Porter Milgrim) discuss some suspicious details in the Great Lakes Theater production of Broadway's longest running comic thriller "Deathtrap" at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)Suspense builds when actors Nick Steen (front, as the young writer Clifford Anderson) and Tom Ford (behind, as the seasoned playwright Sidney Bruhl) share a surprising moment in the Great Lakes Theater production of Broadway's longest running comic thriller "Deathtrap" at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)Actor Lynn Allison (right, as psychic Helga Ten Dorp) shares her "vision" with and Aled Davies (left, as lawyer Porter Milgrim) in the Great Lakes Theater production of Broadway's longest running comic thriller "Deathtrap" at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)

What Others Are Saying

Be sure to see this about the evening:

Thank You

Thank you to Cuyahoga Arts & Culture (@CuyArtsC), The Cleveland Foundation (@CleveFoundation), and Ohio Arts Council (@OhioArtsCouncil) for their sponsorship of Deathtrap, and the many other great events that we attend that improve the quality of life for all of us in Cleveland.

Thank you to Great Lakes Theater's Audience Engagement Manager Chris Fornadel for inviting us to attend this great show. Stuart was thrilled to have his memories of the show brought back to life, and Julie now has great new memories after attending the Great Lakes Theater production of Deathtrap.

 

 

 

Disclosure: As bloggers, we were guests of Great Lakes Theater for the show, receiving two play tickets and two drink tickets. We also attended the pre-show "Mysteries Solved: A Conversation With Les Roberts" discussion which was open to all attending the show. We enjoyed the show and wrote this blog to share our experience and our opinion of the performance. We were also guests of the theater in the past for their first social media night for Blithe Spirit, Sweeney Todd Social Media Night, and A Christmas Carol Social Media Night.