A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

Spider's Web

Full-Length Play, Dark Comedy  /  3w, 9m

Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie's comedy thriller in three acts delivers a unique blend of suspense and humor in an intricate plot of murder, police, drug addicts, invisible ink, hidden doorways and secret drawers.

Spider's Web

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    3w, 9m
  • Duration
    Duration
    More than 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Mystery/Thriller
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult, Teen (Age 14 - 18)

Details

Summary

Clarissa, wife of a diplomat, is adept at spinning tales of adventure, but when a murder takes place in her drawing room she finds live drama much harder to cope with. Desperate to dispose of the body before her husband arrives with an important politician, she enlists the help of her guests. Hilarity ensues when they are interrupted by the arrival of wry detective Inspector Lord.

With this conscious parody of the detective thriller, Christie delivers a unique blend of suspense and humor. There is tension and laughter in equal parts in an intricate plot of murder, police, drug addicts, invisible ink, hidden doorways and secret drawers.

History
Spider's Web premiered in London's West End at the Savoy Theatre on the 14th of December, 1954. Presented by Peter Saunders and directed by Wallace Douglas, the play starred Margaret Lockwood and ran for an impressive 744 performances. It remains Christie's second longest-running play, after The Mousetrap.
Cast Attributes
Keywords
Performing Groups
SIR ROWLAND DELAHAYE
HUGO BIRCH
JEREMY WARRENDER
CLARISSA HAILSHAM-BROWN
PIPPA HAILSHAM-BROWN 
MILDRED PEAKE
ELGIN 
OLIVER COSTELLO
HENRY HAILSHAM-BROWN
INSPECTOR LORD
CONSTABLE JONES
DOCTOR – offstage voice
  • Time Period Contemporary
  • Setting The drawing room of Copplestone Court, the Hailsham-Browns’ home in Kent.
  • Duration More than 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • Cautions
    • Alcohol
    • Mild Adult Themes

Media

“What sets Spider's Web apart... is that its real motive is fun.” – The New York Times

"Suspense, anyone? The old fashioned kind? Who's for good, clean fun? One is Agatha Christie's 1954 puzzler, The Spider's Web.” – Howard Thompson, The New York Times

“A detective play, in which a nameless avenger strikes down a chosen victim, is governed by conventions every bit as strict as those of Greek tragedy. Audiences who emerged from Witness for the Prosecution murmuring ‘How clever she is!’ will probably emerge from Spider’s Web murmuring ‘How clever I am!’” – Kenneth Tynan, The Observer

“What sets Spider's Web apart from most specimens of its overstuffed genre is that its real motive is fun; all else – dropped clues, plot contrivances – is secondary. And the Lady of Copplestone Court, Clarissa Hailsham-Brown, has a talent to amuse.” – Alvin Klein, The New York Times

Music

  • Musical Style N/A (Not a musical)
  • Vocal DemandsN/A (Not a musical)
  • Chorus Size N/A (Not a musical)

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: $130 per performance

Scripts

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Authors

Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie is known throughout the world as the Queen of Crime. Her books have sold over a billion copies in English with another billion in foreign languages. She is the most widely published author of all time and, in many languages, outsold only by the Bible and Shake ...

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