The Deadly Game

Those whose dramatic taste runs to the delightfully macabre may wish to put on their theatrical to-do list the psychological thriller The Deadly Game, adapted by James Yaffe from a novella by Swiss author Friedrich Duerrenmatt, which is to open at The Stagecrafters on Friday, April 13. The action unfolds as a traveling American businessman, having run his car into a snowdrift during a fierce Alpine blizzard, gratefully accepts warm hospitality after trudging his way to a chalet up the road perched over a deep precipice. Little does he suspect that the initial encounter with his host, a genial, well-mannered older gentleman, will lead to a chain of events that will literally put his life on the line. The tension builds slowly and inexorably, as the battle of wits and wiles effectively blends horror and black humor with probing of deeper issues of human moral frailty.
Friedrich Duerrenmatt (1921-1990) was a master of macabre and darkly comic story-telling, where weighty moral questions always lurked just beneath the surface. Author of The Visit, which was also produced at The Stagecrafters (2007), Duerrenmatt has to his credit dozens of plays and novels, most often tales dealing with questions of crime, guilt, and justice. His story, Die Panne (The Breakdown, 1956), cleverly adapted by James Yaffe as The Deadly Game, was ideal material for a stage thriller which is probing, suspenseful, and weirdly funny. First produced on Broadway in 1960, The Deadly Game has seen numerous productions in theaters in this country and abroad.

by James Yaffe (adapted from the novella The Breakdown by Friedrich Duerrenmatt)
Directed by Yaga Brady

Apr. 13, 14, 15, 19, 20, 21, 22, 26, 27, 28, 29 2012

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Stagecrafters currently stages five theatrical productions per season, which encompass a wide range of styles, from classics to edgy contemporary fare.


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The Stagecrafters Theater is centrally located in Chestnut Hill, in the heart of this historic section of northwest Philadelphia at 8130-34 Germantown Avenue (in the 8100 block between Hartwell Lane and Abington Avenue). The theater is toward the rear of the property up a short driveway. More

8130 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia PA 19118
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Email: info@thestagecrafters.org