Sleuth (play)

Infobox Play
name = Sleuth


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writer = Anthony Shaffer
characters = Milo Tindle
Andrew Wyke
Inspector Doppler
Detective Sergeant Tarrant
Police Constable Higgs
setting = A manor house in Wiltshire, England
premiere = 9 November, 1970
place = Music Box Theatre
orig_lang = English
subject =
genre = Mystery, Thriller
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ibdb_id = 8093__NOTOC__"Sleuth" is a 1970 play written by Anthony Shaffer. The play is set in the Wiltshire, England manor house of Andrew Wyke, an immensely successful mystery writer. His home reflects Wyke's obsession with the inventions and deceptions of fiction and his fascination with games and game-playing. He lures his wife's lover, Milo Tindle, to the house and convinces him to stage a robbery of her jewelry, a proposal that sets off a chain of events that leaves the audience trying to decipher where Wyke's imagination ends and reality begins.

Shaffer said the play was partially inspired by one of his friends, composer Stephen Sondheim, whose intense interest in games-playing is mirrored by the character of Wyke.

The play's first production, starring Anthony Quayle and Keith Baxter, was at London's Ambassadors Theatre.

After four previews, the Broadway production, with Quayle and Baxter directed by Clifford Williams, opened on November 9, 1970 at the Music Box Theatre, where it ran for 1,222 performances.

Film adaptations

In 1972, Schaeffer adapted his play for film, directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, starring Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine. Another film adaptation was released in 2007 with a screenplay by Harold Pinter. The 2007 film was directed by Kenneth Branagh, starring Michael Caine and Jude Law as Milo Tindle, originally played by Caine in the 1972 version.

Awards and nominations

;Awards
*Tony Award for Best Play
*Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Performance - Anthony Quayle and Keith Baxter;Nominations
*Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play - Clifford Williams
*Tony Award for Best Lighting Design - William Ritman

References

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External links

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