Rope
Written by Patrick Hamilton
Directed by Mark Campbell
15 – 20 October 2007
For the mere sake of adventure, danger, and the “fun of the thing”, Wyndham Brandon persuades his weak minded friend, Charles Granillo, to assist him in the murder of a fellow undergraduate, a perfectly harmless man named Ronald Raglan. They place the body in a wooden chest, and to add spice to their handiwork, invite a few acquaintances, including the dead youth’s father, to a party, the chest with its gruesome contents serving as a supper table. The horror and tension are worked up gradually; thunder grows outside, the guests leave, and we see the reactions of the two murderers, watched closely by the suspecting lame poet, Rupert Cadell. Finally they break down under the strain and confess their guilt.
Cast
Wyndham Brandon – Tom Hirsch
Charles Granillo – Steve Padgham
Sabot – Clive Madel
Kenneth Raglan – Ben Cowen
Leila Arden – Kirsty Duncombe
Sir Johnstone Kentley – Colin Bailey
Mrs Debenham – Shirley Andrews
Rupert Cadell – John Hart
Crew
Stage Manager – Richard Banks
Set Design – Mark Campbell
Set Construction and Painting – Keith Jarman, Albert Tilbury, Trevor Jeffries, Len Huntley, Holly Jarman, Richard Banks, Mark Campbell, Mick Holland
Continuity – Betty Bailey
Lighting – Wendi Freeman, Michael Cooper
Sound – Ken Swan
Properties – Sue Newman, Diane Frosdick
Costumes – Marjorie Sawyer, Carole Bramall