Wickedly witty and packed with shocking twists, sharp dialogue and ever-building suspense, Ira Levin's Deathtrap poses the ultimate question: What would you do for money and success?

This celebrated dark comedy-thriller has captivated audiences since its 1978 Broadway debut, where it set a record as the longest-running play of its genre. Now, under the direction of Joe Depasquale, Deathtrap takes to the MADC Playhouse this May, ready to deliver its acclaimed blend of suspense, deception and macabre humour.

At the heart of the story is Sidney Bruhl, a once-successful playwright now facing a string of box office flops. When a former student of his, Clifford Anderson, sends Sidney a brilliant script guaranteed to be a critical success, Sidney sees an opportunity for a long-awaited comeback. He invites Clifford to his home under the guise of mentorship, but how far is he willing to go to reclaim his former glory?

For actor Richard Godden, stepping into Sidney's shoes is familiar territory. "I have actually played Sidney before, about 20 years ago in Edinburgh," he shares. "I've played many other manipulative characters, whose very unpredictability is a vital part of how they control others."

But Sidney is no simple villain. "It would be possible to make Sidney an extremely unpleasant character - selfish, snobbish, devious, untrustworthy and serially dishonest about pretty much everything. But that would misunderstand the part and short-change the audience," Godden explains. "It would leave out his wit and charm, and his infectious glee at his own cleverness in keeping one step ahead of everyone else. In short, the audience shouldn't be able to help themselves from liking him at the same time as being horrified by him."

Joining Godden on stage is a talented ensemble including Giselle Borg Olivier, Adrian Farrugia, Angelica Sant and Eoin Kennedy. Godden has nothing but praise for the collaboration between the team. "What I'm finding hugely rewarding is what always happens when I'm working with very talented colleagues, as I certainly am here - with every rehearsal, we find ourselves adding things, without even being asked. It may be a look, a movement or an inflection, just something that deepens our performances and sometimes takes them off in directions we didn't necessarily intend at the start."

Suspense is at the core of Deathtrap's enduring appeal and Godden recalls a famous Alfred Hitchcock interview that shaped his approach: "Hitchcock explained the difference between a jump scare and suspense. If a bomb suddenly goes off, you give the audience a shock lasting about five seconds. But if you tell them a bomb is going to go off in five minutes, you give them five minutes of suspense."

That sense of simmering unease permeates throughout the show. "There are a couple of jump scares, which are fun," Godden continues. "But there is also a lot of tension and suspense, which is more challenging. It isn't about creeping around an old dark house, but rather it arises out of scenes where everything is normal and nice on the surface, and yet the audience is increasingly aware that something is wrong underneath, that people are not saying what they really mean, and that it's not going to end well."

Written as part of a new wave of genre-subverting thrillers in the 1970s, Deathtrap upends the classic murder mystery. "It takes the old cliched country-house whodunnit and turns it on its head, constantly leading audiences up the garden path, playing games with them and fooling them into thinking that they were going to get the usual prescription, and then suddenly giving them something else entirely" smiles Godden. "Even 45 years later, audiences still enjoy seeing the 'whodunnit' genre subverted - and Deathtrap is an excellent example of that."

MADC's production of Ira Levin's Deathtrap performs at the MADC Playhouse, Santa Venera, on 2, 3, 4 and 9, 10, 11 May, with all performances at 7.30pm. This production is suitable for audiences aged 14 and over. Booking is open at www.madc.com.mt. This amateur production of Deathtrap is presented by special arrangement with Broadway Licensing, LLC, servicing the Dramatists Play Service collection. More information is available at www.dramatists.com.