A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE
Gaslight (Dietz)
Full-Length Play, Drama / 3w, 2m, 2any gender (adult)
By Steven Dietz
Based on the original play by Patrick Hamilton
A psychological thriller adapted by Steven Dietz from Patrick Hamilton’s hit 1939 play (which inspired the 1944 film starring Ingrid Bergman), Gaslight thrillingly delves into the horrors of psychological abuse, where the truth is fickle for characters and audience alike. With undertones of Sherlock Holmes and film noir, it’s a story replete with mystery, double-crosses and the injustice of emotional abuse.
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Cast Size
3w, 2m, 2any gender (adult) -
Duration
120 minutes (2 hours) -
Target Audience
Adult
Details
Summary
History
Performing Groups
- Time Period Victorian (British and American), 19th Century
- Setting The living room of a gloomy house on NYC’s East Side. The late 1880s.
- Features Period Costumes
- Duration 120 minutes (2 hours)
- Cautions
- Alcohol
- Mild Adult Themes
Media
“A captivating psychological thriller… this is a show that will engage your brain.” – League of Cincinnati Theatres
“Streamlined… compelling entertainment… A portrait of courage in the face of evil… Gaslight is a psychological thriller, but there are frequent moments of levity… There could hardly be a more fitting time for a play entitled Gaslight, given that we are now living in a world that asks us to bend reality to suit our own cultural and political beliefs rather than to believe what we see and hear with our own eyes and ears.” – Theater Mirror
“Mr. Dietz’s interpretation of the story is an excellent one. He has managed to make it more concise without losing the impact of the story itself… While the original text has been around since the 1930s, Gaslight remains timeless for two very different reasons: in many ways, its message was very much ahead of its time and, unfortunately, psychological abuse still exists. Fortunately, Mr. Dietz’s script has enough light in this dark tale to pull us out of the shadows rather adeptly as we are reminded there is hope in the most bleak of hours.” – Katrina Reynolds, League of Cincinnati Theatres
“A captivating psychological thriller… Transforming the 1938 play by Patrick Hamilton (and the acclaimed 1940 movie of the same name), playwright Steven Dietz has crafted a revealing look at power dynamics of a marriage and how far someone would go for personal gain… this is a show that will engage your brain.” – Liz Eichler, League of Cincinnati Theatres
Videos
Gaslight – Cincinnati Shakespeare Company Trailer
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LTC Covers Merrimack Repertory Theatre’s Gaslight
Licensing & Materials
- Minimum Fee: £55 per performance plus VAT when applicable.
Performance rights for this title are currently withdrawn in the UK and Ireland. To be informed as soon as it becomes available in the future, please submit a license application.
Authors
Steven Dietz
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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