Anthony Shaffer’s classic stage thriller Sleuth was a hit in both London’s West End and on Broadway, where it won the Tony Award for Best Play and ran for 1,222 performances. A devilishly clever mystery filled with twists and turns in which situations and characters are not quite what they seem, it also spawned a classic 1972 film starring Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine, both of whom received Oscar nominations (the less said about the 2007 movie version, the better).
But the biggest mystery about the play is, why is it never revived? Featuring a small cast on a single set, it would seem a likely perennial on our stages. In all my decades of New York theatergoing, I can’t recall a single major production, which is why I’ve never been lucky enough to see it onstage.
Until now. A sterling revival, previously presented at Niagara-on-the-Lake’s venerable Shaw Festival, has now transferred to Toronto. It occupies the intimate Fleck theater at the Harbourfront Centre Theatre for an unfortunately brief run.
Set at a handsome manor house in Wiltshire, the play concerns the meeting between famed mystery writer Andrew Wyke (Patrick Galligan) and the younger Milo Tindle (Sepehr Reybod), whom Andrew has invited to his home. It seems that Milo, the owner of a modest travel agency, has been conducting an affair with Andrew’s wife. But rather than being angry, Andrew offers Milo a proposition. He’ll arrange a fake burglary of his wife’s jewels from a safe in the house, with Milo to sell the loot for a small fortune to a reliable fence and Andrew claiming the insurance money. It’s a win-win, with Milo getting the funds necessary to support his lover in the style to which she’s become accustomed and Andrew finally free of her. And of course, Milo should wear a disguise to make the whole thing convincing, which the games-loving Andrew provides in the form of a clown costume.
“This is, as they say, when the plot thickens,” Andrew declares at one point, and the plot thickens indeed, with the burglary not going quite as planned and the second act featuring the arrival of Inspector Doppler (Philip Mayfield), an inquisitive elderly copper seeking to get to the bottom of things. An elaborate cat-and-mouse game ensues, with none of its surprises to be spoiled here.
Making his directorial debut, Shaw Festival actor Peter Fernandes delivers a terrific staging, mining the play’s thrills and many laughs for a fast-paced, superbly acted production. While the first act perhaps leans a little too heavily into broad humor, the breathlessly paced second act more than makes up for it. Greatly enhancing the overall impact is Sim Suzer’s handsome set, filled with the game-loving Andrew’s many treasures including a laughing ventriloquist’s dummy, and John Gzowki’s original music and sound design that adds to the tension.
Galligan, marking his 23rd season with the festival, is absolutely superb as Andrew, gleefully mining his character’s witty flair and sly malevolence, with the younger Reybod proving a superb scene partner who matches him step-for-step. The supporting cast, including Liam McNulty and Stanley Rushton in small roles, are equally effective.
This is the first season of Shaw Festival shows being presented in Toronto, with Sleuth soon to be followed by, what else, that holiday perennial A Christmas Carol. One hopes that this will be the beginning of a long artistic residency that will make the festival’s outstanding productions more easily accessible.
Sleuth opened October 16, 2026, at The Fleck at Harbourfront Centre Theatre (Toronto) and runs through November 1. Tickets and information: harbourfrontcentre.com
