SLEUTH Comes To The New Vic In Santa Barbara In June

Performances run Thursday, June 9 – Sunday, June 26, 2022.

By: May. 20, 2022
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SLEUTH Comes To The New Vic In Santa Barbara In June

Ensemble Theatre Company (ETC) presents the fifth and final show of its 2021-2022 Season, one of the most iconic and celebrated thrillers ever written, SLEUTH, by Anthony Shaffer and directed by Jenny Sullivan. SLEUTH begins previews on Thursday, June 9 at 7:30pm, opens on Saturday, June 11 at 8:00pm and runs through Sunday, June 26, 2022 at The New Vic, 33 W. Victoria Street in Santa Barbara.

SLEUTH is Anthony Shaffer's exquisitely constructed play of cat-and-mouse games was a hit on Broadway in the late 1960s and the basis for two hit movies (both starring Michael Caine). SLEUTH centers on two ruthless men, locked together in a deadly power struggle. Set in the home of Andrew Wyke, an immensely successful mystery writer. Wyke's home reflects his obsession with the inventions and deceptions of fiction and his fascination with games and game-playing. He lures his wife's lover, Milo Tindle, to the house and convinces him to stage a robbery of her jewelry, a proposal that sets off a chain of events that leaves the audience trying to decipher where Wyke's imagination ends and reality begins.

"We close our season with one of the greatest thrillers ever written for the stage," said ETC's Artistic Director, Jonathan Fox. "We have assembled a dream cast and, under the extraordinary vision of ETC favorite Jenny Sullivan coupled with an extraordinary design team, our subscribers and audiences will be kept on the edge of their seats until the very final seconds of this legendary masterwork."

Director Jenny Sullivan is one of the region's most sought-after directors. Some of her many directing credits at Ensemble Theatre Company include Tenderly: The Rosemary Clooney Musical, The Legend of Georgia McBride, I Am My Own Wife (Indy Award), Baby Doll, Good People, The Lion in Winter (Indy Award), The Mystery of Irma Vep (Indy Award), The Clean House (Indy Award), among others. For Ventura's Rubicon Theatre Company, she has directed The Baby Dance: Mixed, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Hamlet, Defying Gravity, and The Rainmaker. Other Santa Barbara productions include Marat/Sade, Listen for Wings (Access Theatre); Nancy Nufer's Food Confessions, Mother Earth/Father Sky and The Shadow Box, all at the Lobero Theatre.

Anthony Shaffer (Playwright) worked as a barrister and advertising copywriter before becoming a full-time writer. Shaffer's most notable work was the play Sleuth (1970), which won the Tony Award for Best Play. The play is one of those rare works that have been adapted into two films, both starring Michael Caine. Shaffer received Edgar Awards from the Mystery Writers of America for both Best Play in 1971 and Best Screenplay in 1973.His other major screenplays include the Hitchcock thriller "Frenzy" (1972) as well as the cult thriller "The Wicker Man" (1973), directed by Robin Hardy.

The cast of SLEUTH features acclaimed stage and screen actor Daniel Gerroll as mystery writer Andrew Wyke, who has a penchant for playing deadly games. Mr. Gerroll has been seen on television in "Blue Bloods" and "Law and Order" and had a memorable role on "Seinfeld." His feature film roles include major roles in "Big Business" (with Lily Tomlin and Bette Midler) and "Chariots of Fire." His Broadway credits include Plenty and Enchanted April. He has also been seen on the ETC stage as "Salieri" in Amadeus. Matthew Floyd Miller portrays Andrew's wife's lover Milo Tindle, who had been lured to Andrew's house to stage a robbery, or so he thinks. Matthew has been seen in five previous ETC productions, It's A Wonderful Life, Measure for Measure and The 39 Steps.

Scenic design is by Fred Kinney. Lighting design is by Jared A. Sayeg. Sound design is by Randall Robert Tico. Costume design is by Dianne K. Graebner. Properties design is by John M. McElveney. Fight direction is by Kenneth Merckx. Casting is by Amy Lieberman, CSA. The Production Stage Manager is Dale Alan Cooke.

SLEUTH is made possible through the generosity of ETC's 2021-22 Season Sponsor Dana White and Production Sponsor Paula Y. Bruice.

SLEUTH previews on Thursday, June 9 at 7:30pm, opens on Saturday, June 11 at 8:00pm and runs through Sunday, June 26, 2022 at 7:00pm at The New Vic, 33 W. Victoria Street in Santa Barbara.

Performances are Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7:30pm, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm, and Sundays at 2:00pm and 7:00pm; with added performances on Tuesday, June 14 at 7:30pm and Saturday, June 18 at 4:00pm. There will be no performance on Sunday, June 19 at 7pm.

Ticket prices range from $40 - $77. Single tickets are available through the ETC box office at (805) 965-5400, or online at etcsb.org.

 




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