The thrill is gone from political thriller ‘Death and the Maiden’ Bob Abelman Cleveland Jewish News, The News Herald, The Morning Journal Member, International Association of Theatre Critics Political thrillers are precarious things. Historical facts are tightly interwoven with fiction so the two are often indistinguishable. There are reprobates, provocateurs and protagonists aplenty, but it is often impossible to know who is which throughout the course of the play. It is not until the very end, when the great reveal puts all the pieces and parts together, that you learn the truth – well, the playwright’s take on the truth – about who did what to whom and for what political reasons. So much rides on precise writing to generate intrigue, provocative staging to maintain deception and tension, and perfect execution to make the characters believable and the journey worthwhile. Ariel Dorfman's 1990 “Death and the Maiden” is a different kind of political thriller. For one thing, there is no great reveal. Early on we learn just who did what to whom and why. And when the play comes to a close, it is not at all clear whether what has been said to have occurred actually occurred at all. For more of this review, go to www.clevelandjewishnews.com/columnists/.