There are twists and turns aplenty in Anthony Shaffer’s clever play Sleuth, and it’s a tricky work to review without giving away any of its many surprises. However, even if you go in knowing the entire plot, great performances by Ed Thomason and Jeremy Webb make it worthwhile to see the Festival Antigonish production. Thomason plays a well-to-do crime novelist named Andrew Wyke who sets up a perverse game of cat and mouse with his wife’s lover, Milo Tindle. Webb is low key as Tindle, a man clearly overwhelmed by the more worldly and dangerous Wyke. But as the play unfolds, there is ample opportunity for Webb to exercise his acting chops. The plot may ultimately seem a bit far-fetched, but Sleuth is still an enjoyable and well-performed evening of theatre.
This article appears in Jul 29 – Aug 4, 2010.