Adapted from the classic thriller
by Patrick Hamilton
by Patrick Hamilton
A special note on availability of this play:
AMERICANS!
Due to the arcane black art that is the U.S. copyright law,
in the U.S., this play is not available until January 1, 2033!
However, it IS legal and available in most of the rest of the world, including
CANADA, AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND, the UNITED KINGDOM and elsewhere.
Other countries:
Please look into your country's copyright laws to determine legality of productions where you are.
"I've given you the most terrible evening of your life." Gaslight, June 2014
If you haven't seen it, you've heard of it.
Patrick Hamilton's classic thriller (Gaslight in the U.K.; Angel Street in the U.S.) started classic thrillers -- everyone else owes him a debt.
Unfortunately, in a world where most new plays don't even last 90 minutes (and don't have an intermission), Hamilton's Gaslight runs three long acts of slow-moving dialogue with little action.
This new adaptation turns a pretty staid three-act into a fast-moving two-act and keeps the action moving -- along with everything else.
Hamilton's original play is in the public domain in Canada and so this adaptation can happen!
Patrick Hamilton's classic thriller (Gaslight in the U.K.; Angel Street in the U.S.) started classic thrillers -- everyone else owes him a debt.
Unfortunately, in a world where most new plays don't even last 90 minutes (and don't have an intermission), Hamilton's Gaslight runs three long acts of slow-moving dialogue with little action.
This new adaptation turns a pretty staid three-act into a fast-moving two-act and keeps the action moving -- along with everything else.
Hamilton's original play is in the public domain in Canada and so this adaptation can happen!
Bella is married to the somewhat older Jack Manningham, who has convinced her that she is losing her mind, just as her mother did before her.
One evening, when Jack has gone out, a stranger appears with a strange story to tell. Bella is not losing her mind -- and her husband is definitely not the man she thinks he is.
The search for missing rubies and the malevolent presence of Jack keeps the tension at a high level and the plot flowing.
When Gaslight came to Broadway, the name was changed to Angel Street to, I believe, avoid confusion with a similarly named show. A few minutes with a map of London would have shown that "Angel Street" is a one-block lane that had been occupied for two hundred years by the British General Post Office buildings. The Manninghams never lived on Angel Street. Gaslight is the play's only true name.
One evening, when Jack has gone out, a stranger appears with a strange story to tell. Bella is not losing her mind -- and her husband is definitely not the man she thinks he is.
The search for missing rubies and the malevolent presence of Jack keeps the tension at a high level and the plot flowing.
When Gaslight came to Broadway, the name was changed to Angel Street to, I believe, avoid confusion with a similarly named show. A few minutes with a map of London would have shown that "Angel Street" is a one-block lane that had been occupied for two hundred years by the British General Post Office buildings. The Manninghams never lived on Angel Street. Gaslight is the play's only true name.
"The most terrible? No! The most wonderful!" Tegan Mackey and Kathie Reid, June 2014
"I was tense until the very end. As a thriller it’s quite, well,
thrilling." Dana Eewachow, Mooney On Theatre on the October 2015 Toronto
premiere of this adaptation
"If I didn't know the original, I'd never have known that the play had been cut by an entire act! A superb adaptation!" M.R., Toronto
"I want to complain! I had to pay for the whole seat, but I only used the front six inches." J.S. Perth
"Don't-cher want ta kiss me?"
James Benda and Emily Richardson, June 2014
James Benda and Emily Richardson, June 2014
2 acts; 105 minutes plus intermission;
3 female/ 2 male; one interior set
3 female/ 2 male; one interior set