A SAMUEL FRENCH, LTD. TITLE

Go Back for Murder

Full-Length Play, Drama  /  4w, 6m

After a wrongly convicted woman dies in prison, her daughter recreates the scene of the crime to exonerate her memory. Agatha Christie adapted this suspenseful stage play from her novel Five Little Pigs.

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    4w, 6m
  • Duration
    Duration
    More than 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Adaptation (Literature), Mystery/Thriller
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult, Teen (Age 14-18)

Details

Summary

After receiving a letter from beyond the grave, Carla Crale believes her mother, who died in prison, was wrongly convicted of her father’s murder. In a passionate attempt to clear her name, she persuades those present on the day of her father’s death to return to the scene of the crime and ‘go back’ 15 years to recount their version of events.

An unusual take on the traditional murder mystery, the play slips seamlessly from past to present, examining the danger of relying on personal testimony warped by time, prejudice and perception. By studying each suspect’s testimony, and the various inconsistencies among them, the drama arrives at a disturbing and terrible truth.

History
Go Back for Murder premiered at the Duchess Theatre, London, on 23 March 1960. Directed by Hubert Gregg, the production featured Ann Firbank and Robert Urquhart.
Cast Attributes
JUSTIN FOGG
TURNBALL
CARLA
JEFF ROGERS
PHILIP BLAKE
MEREDITH BLAKE
LADY MELKSHAM
MISS WILLIAMS
ANGELA WARREN
CAROLINE CRALE
AMYAS CRALE

CARLA and her mother, CAROLINE CRALE, are played by the same actress.

  • Time Period 1940s/WWII, 1930s
  • Setting Several locations in London and Alderbury, in the West of England. Autumn 1964.
  • Features Period Costumes
  • Duration More than 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • Cautions
    • Mild Adult Themes

Media

“A subtle and ingenious detective story.” – The Guardian

“Agatha Christie’s Go Back for Murder, which deals with family values and filial devotion, has a lot to recommend it. It is a classic whodunit filled with red herrings … a subplot of romantic love.” – Leah D. Frank, The New York Times

“A subtle and ingenious detective story, an elegiac love story and a masterful example of storytelling technique, with five separate accounts of one devastating event. Christie's greatest achievement.” – John Curran, The Guardian on Five Little Pigs, the story on which this play is based

“Demonstrates the author’s uncanny skill. The answer to the riddle is brilliant.” – Maurice Willson Disher, The 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: £70 per performance plus VAT when applicable.

    Please submit a license request to determine availability.

Scripts

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Authors

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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