STAGE REVIEWS : ‘Deathtrap’ Weaves Tangled Web to Snare Audience : Actors and director stick to the basics in San Clemente Community Theater’s production of Ira Levin’s whodunit at Cabrillo Playhouse.

SAN CLEMENTE — Ira Levin’s “Deathtrap” may be the closest thing to foolproof entertainment a community theater can turn to.

Murder mysteries always figure big in the repertoire of neighborhood playhouses, and Levin’s is one of the most dependable when it comes to satisfying a middle-of-the-road audience.

It’s more contemporary and lower-key violent than something by Agatha Christie, yet it delights with the same feints, jabs and red herrings that mark Christie’s best work. The characters are well-defined and accessible (if shallow), presenting even amateur actors with easy starting points.

The key players in the San Clemente Community Theater production at the Cabrillo Playhouse certainly seem confident. The performances aren’t sensational but they are workmanlike, fitting the profile and meeting the whodunit’s needs.

Director Douglas L. Hartman and his actors stick to the basics, correctly avoiding any unnecessary flourishes or histrionics that might blur the plot line, and everything hums along satisfyingly.

At the center of “Deathtrap” is Sydney Bruhl, a famous playwright with several mysteries on his fat resume. He has prestige, a big bank account, a beautiful country estate and a doting (but very nervous) wife. He also has writer’s block.

So he decides to take advantage of one of his students, Clifford, who’s written a highly commercial mystery. Sydney plans to murder Clifford and claim the play as his own.

That’s how things look on the surface, anyway. Levin lets the plot shimmy, eventually turning it in on itself in often tantalizing ways.

As Sydney, Neil S. Pisk is an amusing mix of self-absorption, wit and barely disguised menace. Patrick Munoz as Clifford is even better; his portrayal of this schemer is ripe with ego.

Barbara Kerek could be a bit more neurotic as Sydney’s wife; her frail mental and physical condition is a crucial plot element. John Hancock as Porter, Sydney’s opportunistic attorney, also is stiff. As Helga Ten Dorp, Sydney’s psychic neighbor, Char Salkin gives the production an oddball touch.

‘Deathtrap’

A San Clemente Community Theater production of the mystery by Ira Levin, directed by Douglas L. Hartman. With Neil S. Pisk, Patrick Munoz, Barbara Kerek, John Hancock and Char Salkin. Set by Malcolm Silver. Costumes by Diane Green. Continues through Saturday at 8 p.m. at the Cabrillo Playhouse, 202 Avenida Cabrillo, San Clemente. Tickets: $10. (714) 492-0465. Running time: 2 hours.