Red Kettle Theatre Company's touring production of Ira Levin's 1978 meta-thriller is clearly intended as a star vehicle for American actor Keir Dullea (2001: A Space Odyssey). However, the standout here is young Irish actor Tadhg Murphy, who attacks the script with aplomb, whereas Dullea's performance is slightly aloof.
How the two lead actors position themselves towards the material is the biggest challenge in staging the play: the audience is never meant to be sure whether they are seeing a real scheme of murderous envy and intrigue, or the story of two writers cooking up such a plot for the Broadway stage. In the first act, fading thrillermeister Sidney Bruhl invites Clifford Anderson to his house out of interest in Clifford's excellent new script. Under the surveillance of his worried wife Myra (Mia Dillon), Sidney verbally stalks Clifford, and the tension rises in anticipation of the inevitable explosion of violence.
Director Terry Byrne has gotten many of the 1970s details just right - remember carbon copies? - and this long first scene is largely played for naturalistic believability. Credulity starts to wane, however, when the emotional tenor stays basically the same even after Sidney has apparently done his worst to Clifford. It would be more interesting if we saw cracks appear in Sidney's super-cool veneer.
A few fumbled lines underline the sense that Dullea is not wholly present in the enterprise. Murphy, meanwhile, keeps the audience guessing which version of Clifford is the true one. It adds up to good, unchallenging fun.
· Until April 30. Box office: 00 353 1 679 5720. Then touring.
