A Killer Comedy at freeFall: Why Deathtrap Might Be the Most Fun You’ll Have Being Terrified
Exclusive Arts Passport Offer:
Use code THANKS for $10 off tickets to any performance next week, Nov 26 - 30.
If your idea of a perfect night out is laughing and gasping in equal measure, Deathtrap at freeFall Theatre is calling your name.
This is Broadway’s longest-running thriller—but at freeFall, it becomes something more delicious: a comedy wrapped in a murder mystery wrapped in a dare. The kind of show where you swear you’re ahead of the twist…until the show proves you’re very much not.
Before we dive in:
👉 Use code THANKS to get $10 off any performance next week.
Now let’s talk about why this production is packing the house.
Audiences Are Raving
This isn’t just a good Deathtrap. This is a banger of a Deathtrap.
Here’s what the press is saying:
🎭 "Deathtrap at freeFall Theatre combines a brilliant script with an excellent cast and superb world-building for an escapist and enjoyable experience." — The Gabber
🎭 "There are more twists and turns than a Busch Gardens roller coaster." — St. Pete Catalyst
🎭 "It’s sharp, funny, and far more dangerous than you remember." — Tampa Bay Arts Passport
When three separate outlets all land on “you have to see this”—it’s time to listen.
The Set Everyone’s Obsessed With
If you haven’t seen it yet, freeFall dropped a behind-the-scenes mini-doc that’s pure candy for theater lovers:
👉 Watch the set tour with James Putnam
Master Carpenter & Artistic Associate, talking about building a “delightfully analog” murder cottage.
Every trap door, every creaking board, every shadow is doing story work. This is world-building at a ridiculous level.
What Makes This Deathtrap Hit Different
Ira Levin’s script is already a masterpiece of suspense. But the reason this production punches above its weight is the balance director Matthew McGee and the cast strike between terror and comedy.
- The laughs are big.
- The gasps are real.
- And the show never lets you get comfortable.
Natalie Symons nails it:
“You peel and peel and there’s always another truth, another lie.”
Sara DelBeato adds:
“A perfect formula, a comedy thriller in two acts.”
Even Stephen King once called Levin “the Swiss watchmaker of suspense.”
This watch is ticking loudly.
Avery Anderson
The Plot (Don’t Worry, Spoiler-Free)
Sidney Bruhl (played by Eric Davis) is a washed-up playwright willing to entertain… questionable methods… when a student sends him a flawless script.
What follows is a Rube Goldberg machine of betrayal, second-guessing, psychic visions, and at least six moments where you’ll turn to your friend like:
“Wait. WHAT.”
Inside the freeFall Magic
You already know: freeFall doesn’t stage plays. They stage experiences.
Tom Hansen’s scenic and lighting design turns the theater into a living, breathing Connecticut cottage full of danger. Costumes by Davis sharpen the characters’ edges. And in a 150-seat space, the tension becomes communal.
Symons sums up the “why now” perfectly:
“People want to escape without having to unpack anything. You just want to sit in the dark and have fun.”
And honestly? Same.
Meet the Chaos Crew
- Eric Davis – Sidney Bruhl
- Natalie Symons – Myra Bruhl
- Sara DelBeato – Helga Ten Dorp
- Robert Teasdale – Clifford Anderson
- John Lombardi – Porter Milgrim
And yes—they were a riot on The Morning Blend.
👉 Watch the segment
Don’t Wait for the Twist
Multiple nights have already filling. Don’t let the next twist be that you can’t get a seat.
🎭 Deathtrap
📅 Now through Dec. 7
📍 freeFall Theatre | 6099 Central Ave., St. Pete
🎟️ Use code THANKS for $10 off next week’s shows
👉 Claim Your Seat Before It’s Too Late
One Last Hint…
Everyone is extremely tight-lipped about the ending, but Symons dropped exactly one breadcrumb:
“Every time you think you’ve figured it out, you realize you haven’t.”
The rest?
Still classified.
See you in the dark.