A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

Angel Street (Gaslight)

Full-Length Play, Drama  /  3w, 2m

This brilliant suspense thriller, famously adapted into the film Gaslight, concerns an unscrupulous husband slowly driving his wife to insanity in 19th-century London.

Angel Street (Gaslight)

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    3w, 2m
  • Duration
    Duration
    More than 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Mystery/Thriller, Period
  • Suggested Use
    • Cutting Approved for Competition
    • UIL Approved
    • Competition or audition material
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult

Details

Summary
A Broadway hit first produced on the West End under the title Gaslight and filmed twice, Angel Street tells the story of the Manninghams, who live on Angel Street in 19th-century London. As the curtain rises, all appears to be the essence of Victorian tranquility. It is soon apparent, however, that Mr. Manningham, a suavely handsome man, is slowly driving his gentle, devoted wife, Bella, to the brink of insanity with an insinuating kindness that masks more sinister motives. While he is out, Mrs. Manningham has an unexpected caller: amiable, paternal Inspector Rough from Scotland Yard. Rough is convinced that Mr. Manningham is a homicidal maniac wanted for a murder committed 15 years earlier in this very house. Gradually, the inspector restores Bella’s confidence in herself and, as the evidence against Manningham unfolds, the author has built and sustained some of the most brilliant, suspenseful sequences in modern theatre.
History
Patrick Hamilton’s play made its world premiere, under the two-word title Gas Light, on December 5, 1938 at the Richmond Theatre in Richmond, London. With a new title, Angel Street premiered on Broadway at the John Golden Theatre on December 5, 1941. Directed by Shepard Traube, the production featured Vincent Price, Judith Evelyn and Leo G. Carroll. Two film versions were released: The 1940 British film Gaslight, directed by Thorold Dickinson, and the celebrated 1944 American film of the same name, directed by George Cukor. Cukor’s Gaslight starred Charles Boyer, Ingrid Bergman and Joseph Cotten, and featured 18-year-old Angela Lansbury in her film debut. The film earned five Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, and Bergman won for Best Actress in a Leading Role.
Cast Attributes
MR. MANNINGHAM – Tall and good-looking, about 45. He is heavily moustached and bearded and perhaps a little too well dressed. His manner is suave and authoritative, with a touch of mystery and bitterness.
MRS. MANNINGHAM – About 34. She has been good-looking, almost a beauty – but now she has a haggard, wan, frightened air, with rings under her eyes, which tell of sleepless nights and worse.
ELIZABETH – A stout, amiable, subservient woman of 50.
NANCY – A self-conscious, pretty, cheeky girl of 19.
ROUGH – Middle-aged, greying, short, wiry, active, brusque, friendly, overbearing. He has a low, warm chuckle and completely dominates the scene from the beginning.
  • Time Period Victorian (British and American)
  • Setting

    A house on Angel Street in the Pimlico district of London. 1880.

  • Features Period Costumes
  • Duration More than 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • Cautions
    • Mild Adult Themes

Media

“One of the most satisfying theatre adventures of the last decade.” – The New York News

“The critics call it the biggest dramatic hit in New York.” – New York Mirror

“I have just seen the theatre really come alive for the first time this season. One of the most satisfying theatre adventures of the last decade.” - New York News

“There is a particular reason for welcoming with open arms the excellent new melodrama… It really can keep you anchored to your seat bolt upright – a work that is everything one could hope for.” – New York Herald Tribune

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: $130 per performance

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Authors

Patrick Hamilton

Patrick Hamilton (1904-1962) was born in Hassocks, Sussex in 1904. He and his parents moved a short while later to Hove, where he spent his early years. He published his first novel, Craven House, in 1926 and within a few years had established a wide readership for himself.

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