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A Murder Is Announced

Full-Length Play, Drama  /  7w, 5m

By Agatha Christie
Adapted for the stage by Leslie Darbon

An announcement in the local paper states the time and place of an imminent murder. When an unknown visitor to Miss Blacklock's Victorian home dies under the prescribed circumstances, Miss Marple turns up to solve the case.

A Murder Is Announced

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    7w, 5m
  • Duration
    Duration
    More than 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Mystery/Thriller
  • Suggested Use
    • Cutting Approved for Competition
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult, Teen (Age 14 - 18)

Details

Summary
An announcement in the local paper states the time and place when a murder is to occur in Miss Blacklock's Victorian house. The victim is not one of the house's several occupants, but an unexpected and unknown visitor. What follows is a classic Christie puzzle of mixed motives, concealed identities, a second death and a determined inspector grimly following the case's twists and turns. Fortunately, Miss Marple is on hand to provide the solution – at some risk to herself – in a dramatic final confrontation.
History
A Murder Is Announced was first produced by by Peter Saunders at the Theatre Royal in Brighton, and subsequently at the Vaudeville Theatre in London, on September 21, 1977. Directed by Robert Chetwyn, the production featured Dulcie Gray as Miss Marple.
Cast Attributes
Keywords
Performing Groups
JULIA SIMMONS
LETITIA BLACKLOCK
DORA BUNNER
PATRICK SIMMONS
MITZI
MISS MARPLE
PHILLIPA HAYMES
MRS. SWETTENHAM
EDMUND SWETTENHAM
RUDI SCHERZ
INSPECTOR CRADDOCK
SERGEANT MELLORS
  • Time Period 1950s
  • Setting An early Victorian house in Chipping Cleghorn. 1950.
  • Features Period Costumes
  • Duration More than 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • Cautions
    • Gun Shots
    • Mild Adult Themes

Media

“Had the first night audience on the edge of their seats.” – Evening Post
“Re-enter Agatha with another whodunit hit, another of her fiendishly ingenious murder mysteries.” – London Evening News

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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