Charnin, also an accomplished director who staged the original Broadway production and recent national tour of Annie, previously helmed Shadowlands for the Village in 2007. The Broadway veteran is a current Issaquah resident.
Sleuth runs through Feb. 27 in Issaquah, prior to a March 4-27 run in Everett, WA. David Pichette (Candide at the 5th Avenue Theatre) and M.J. Seiber (Glengarry Glen Ross at Seattle Rep) lead the cast.
“Sleuth belongs to a genre of fast disappearing thrillers that once populated every season," Charnin said in a statement. "There were shows like Dial M For Murder and Deathtrap and Wait Until Dark, which all had extensive runs on Broadway, and subsequently in regional theatres. The trick in all of them, as a director, is to be more than one step ahead of the audience. A well-written thriller makes a specific demand on the viewer’s intellect and ability to calculate and put the clues together, so the audience is involved in a different way; they are not only following the characterizations, but the intricacies of the plot. One of the great satisfactions, for an audience, has always been the attempt to figure out 'whudunnit' before the curtain comes down. The great mysteries take you to the penultimate page and then pull the rug out from under you one last time. Sleuth is, in my opinion, two acts in a rug factory."
The play centers on a wealthy English mystery writer who invites a young man to his home in order to settle some personal matters. The Tony-winning work delivers a high-stakes game of cat and mouse.
The production has scenic design by Martin Christoffel, lighting design by Alex Berry, costume design by Melanie Burgess and sound design by Gino Scarpino. After making his Broadway debut as "Big Deal" in the original Broadway production of West Side Story, Charnin began a career as a lyricist and director, with such shows as Annie, I Remember Mama and Two By Two. He has been honored with four Tony Award nominations, two Tony Awards, six Grammy Awards, three Emmy Awards and six Drama Desk Awards.
For tickets and further information visit VillageTheatre.
