Sleuth: A Play (Playscript, 46)

If you like mysteries, you will love this play!

This was a very good read.I enjoyed the book it was very suspenseful.I would recommend it to a friend.

The middle aged Andrew Wyke, a successful author of English country house murder mysteries, is an obsessive player of games, games of deductive logic, inductive logic, semantics, mathematics, hypnosis, and prestidigitation. Milo Tindle, the young lover of Andrew's wife Marguerite, has cautiously accepted an invitation by Andrew to his house.Anthony Shaffer's play Sleuth opened to rave reviews in London in February, 1970, with Anthony Quayle and Keith Baxter in the lead roles. In the film production by Palomar Pictures Production and Twentieth Century Fox the roles of Andrew Wyke and Milo Tindle were played by Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine.Sleuth makes fascinating reading on several levels. The setting, an English country home, initially suggests a predictable English mystery. However, despite some elements of humor, the disguised rivalry between Wyke and Tindle gradually develops overtones of a psychological thriller. Like Tindle, the reader is uncertain whether Wyke is simply playing a game, or whether he has more serious intentions. Obsessive game playing and make believe appear to be metamorphosing into a dangerous reality, but who is the victim? The plot is highly unpredictable and it would be inappropriate to say more.The dialogue is fast paced and witty. Sleuth is entertaining, suspenseful, and great fun.

Quick delivery, fair price, good condition...what else can you ask for?

A classic in every sense of the word. Crisp dialogue. Smooth pacing. Unexpected twists. And a stunning climax. I read the play and saw the movie (the brilliant original 1972 version — avoid the trashy 2007 remake at all costs) years ago, and loved them both. Comparable, if not superior, reads would be  Deathtrap: A Thriller in Two Acts , and  Three Imaginary Boys  (though the latter is a novel, it reads almost like a play or a movie). Bottom line: Sleuth is the best cat & mouse thriller of all time.Here is a link to the original 1972 movie:  Sleuth . I haven't seen this particular transfer; hopefully they done it justice.

For my money, playwriting is probably the most difficult writing there is.Unlike a book, you don't have the luxury of being able to use a lot of words or a lot of time and yet somehow in the scant pages allowed to you, you're expected to:1) Introduce the characters2) Introduce the story3) Move both along consistently and4) Bring about a satisfying ending while providing entertaining dialogue with no wasted scenes.It's a huge order and yet Anthony Shaffer delivers. In this story we meet Andrew Wyke a stodgy Britisher who's wife is having an affair with the other character, Milo. Unlike Wyke Milo is young and verile. He's dashing and bigger than life but shorter on brains.Or is it that we only think he's shorter on brains.As Shaffer develops the story he naturally develops the plot and his characters in a way that we find both satisfying and believable.It's wicked fun and well worth reading or seeing.

This book is as enjoyable to read for the language has his characters use. ("You mendacious bollock of Satan!" snarls one of them.) The plot was a little farfetched, but I savored every word of dialogue. The film version was perfectly cast with Michael Caine and Sir Lawrence Olivier featured. Well worth adding to your library. It's hard to put down; you get caught up in the momentum of the story.

The one extremely odd thing about this play was the fact that it was more of an entertainment than anything else, which is something that the old, stodgy theater would highly frown upon. Actually, though, it comes across as more of a breath of fresh air in a profession which is breathing its last in the public eye. The story twists and weaves almost too much to keep track of, but ostensibly this is the story of a young foreign gentleman in England who is visiting an older native. The older man has called him over to talk about a concern. The younger man (Milo)is getting married, and it turns out that the woman in question is the older man's ex-fiancee. What starts out as a polite inquiry into the Milo's finances suddenly turns ugly, as his elder intends to scare him. The two become embroiled in a psychological battle of scares and pranks up until the unexpected ending of the play. The key words here are Reversal of Expectation, taken almost to ludicrous extremes but always clear and understandable. The dialogue is quick, clever, and entertaining, and the characters are memorable. Best of all, this play can be performed easily on a budget and with a limited cast and crew; the script is that undemanding. The only thing you should consider bringing to the table here is an experienced director and two very talented actors.

learning speeches

Libro arrivato senza plastica ma in ottime condizioni, testo in inglese consigliato, ottimo thriller con solo due attori. Consigliato!! Great!

Dazzling. A sparkling script that crackles with barbed wit and that fantastic denouement.

Play script

Sleuth the playscripts in this day of writing without pen & ink to have the playscripts of the original stageplay & to watch the film version after all changes that have taken place is a joy a little confusing but a joy to see what worked on the stage & what is done better in the film.& in this case you can see the further evolution of the story when you watch the 2007 remake.The script is easy to read even if you're not used to reading in this manner & with the black & white photo's taken from the original film it is easy to get a feel of the thing.For some reason I was expecting the script from the film to be included as well but maybe that is just being greedy.