With Twists So Good They Should Be Illegal, Upstage Productions’ Deathtrap Proves It’s a Crime to Miss This Wickedly Clever Thriller.

October 11th, 2025

Some plays are like rollercoasters: you know there will be twists, but you still scream anyway. Deathtrap, Upstage Productions’ debut at Empire Stage, is exactly that kind of ride—a sly, twist-laden comic thriller that keeps you furiously recalculating who’s plotting what.

Founded by accomplished actress and businesswoman Janice Hamilton, Upstage Productions enters the Fort Lauderdale scene with confidence and style. Their first offering, Ira Levin’s 1978 Broadway classic, is notoriously tricky as it is part murder mystery and part meta-theatrical joke, but the company navigates it with polish and panache.

Betsy Bittar, Matthew Pyle. Photo by Amy Pasquantonio

Larry Buzzeo is well cast as Sidney Bruhl, a playwright whose career has stalled and whose moral compass is flexible, to say the least. Buzzeo balances Sidney’s wit with moments of anxiety and self-doubt, making his devious plotting nearly sympathetic. His performance at the beginning of the play is a bit stilted and his acting focus scattered, but his performance grew stronger as the play progresses. Opposite him, Om Jae’s Clifford Anderson is charmingly energetic, and deliciously manipulative—someone you want to trust and yet simultaneously suspect. He turns in a thoroughly enjoyable performance.

Om Jae, Larry Buzzeo. Photo by Amy Pasquantonio

Michele Verdi’s Myra offers a naïve and emotional counterpoint to the scheming duo though a tad overacted, while Betsy Bittar, as the colorful psychic Helga Ten Dorp, delivers comic timing so precise it’s almost preternatural. Her performance is hilarious. Matthew Pyle’s Porter Milgram, meanwhile, acts as the calm in the storm. He is a voice of reason in a house full of highly suspect motives.

Betsy Bittar, Michele Verdi. Photo by Amy Pasquantonio

Director Deborah Kondelik knows what makes Deathtrap tick. The pacing is brisk, the tension taut, and the production design cleverly complements the claustrophobic humor. The set truly uses every inch of the space with great style. You’ll find yourself chuckling one moment, squirming the next, and—just when you think you’ve figured it out—Levin flips the table.

What makes this production especially noteworthy is that it doesn’t just lean on the play’s famous twists, it finds humor in human nature. Upstage Productions may be new, but their debut suggests a company with a sense of style and a commitment to entertaining intelligently. So if you’re looking for murder, mischief, and theatrical mayhem all wrapped into one evening, Deathtrap is your ticket!

Upstage Productions’ Deathtrap

October 10 – November 2, 2025
Empire Stage, 1140 N Flagler Drive, Fort Lauderdale
Tickets: $40 | upstageproductions.net | 954-264-1461
Performances: Fridays & Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 5pm