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BONUS MATERIALS: Accomplice
Welcome to the Bonus Materials section for the Colony's latest
production, Accomplice. To help you enjoy the rich
background of the play, the Colony has compiled some historical
information and trivia. Enjoy!
An abbreviated history of the classic stage thriller
The Bat by Mary Roberts Rinehart
Opened August 23, 1920 at the Morosco Theatre, Broadway
Rinehart's 1920 mystery features a remote country house filled
with suspects, a forbidden romance, a cache of hidden money, and a
mysterious killer known only as The Bat.
Angel Street by Patrick Hamilton
Opened December 5, 1941 at the John Golden Theatre, Broadway
Drawing on the traditions of Victorian popular theatre and the
newer naturalism of the 1930's, playwright Patrick Hamilton attempted
and succeeded in melding the two. It was a unique theatrical offering
for its time – resulting in a hugely successful Broadway run and its
subsequent making into the award winning movie Gaslight, directed by
George Cukor and starring Ingrid Bergman in an Oscar-winning
performance. But, more important, Angel Street spawned a whole new
generation of stage thrillers that re-invigorated the old form and
injected it with a psychologically-fueled adrenaline. The next
generation of stage thrillers included such intense classics as Dial M
For Murder, Wait Until Dark, and The Bad Seed. These plays rely less on
plot and the theatrical machinations of Victorian thrillers and more on
emotionally charged interplay. Angel Street blazed the way for this
revolutionary shift in stage thrillers.
Ten Little Indians by Agatha
Christie
Opened June 27, 1944 at the Broadhurst Theatre, Broadway
Dame Agatha Christie's most famous 'locked room' puzzle, it tells
the story of 10 people, strangers to each other, who gather at a house
party at the invitation of a mysterious host. Critics praised the
intricate plotting and innovative technique, noting that Christie added
new twists to the mystery genre.
The Mousetrap by Agatha Christie
Opened November 25, 1952 in London and is still running!
Again, in her own inimitable style, Agatha Christie creates an
atmosphere of shuddering suspense and a brilliantly intricate plot
where murder lurks around every corner....
Sleuth by Anthony Shaffer
Opened November 12, 1970 at the Music Box Theatre, Broadway
"I understand you want to marry my wife?" Detective novelist
Andrew Wyke invites seducer Milo Tindle to his country house in
Wiltshire for a chat, and so begins one of the most exciting
cat-and-mouse thrillers ever to hit the stage.
Deathtrap by Ira Levin
Opened February 26, 1978, at the Music Box Theatre, Broadway
One of the longest running thrillers in Broadway history: A
playwright suffering from extreme writer's block hatches a plot to
steal a protégé's script. Alternating intrigue with
humor, and throwing in more than one mind-reeling plot twist, Ira
Levin's masterpiece is a classic of the genre.
Compiled by Sandy Schuckett.
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