The Butler Did It

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This comedy parodies every English mystery play ever written: but it has a decidedly American flair. Miss Maple, a dowager with a reputation for "clever" weekend parties, invites a group of detective writers to eerie Ravenswood Manor on Turkey Island where they are to impersonate their fictional characters. The hostess has arranged all sorts of amusing incidents: a mysterious voice on the radio, a menacing face at the window, a mad killer on the loose. Who is that body in the wine cellar anyway? Why do little figurines keep toppling from the mantle? Then a real murder takes place, and Miss Maple is outraged. She offers an immense reward to the "detective" who can bring the killer to justice. And what an assortment of zany would-be sleuths! When they're not busy tripping over clues, they trip over each other! Laughs collide with thrills, and the climax is a real seat-grabber as the true killer is unmasked, and almost everyone turns out to be someone else! Can be played as a pure farce, or as humorous satire.

PublisherBaker's Plays
CategoryFull Length Play
ThemeComedy / Mystery
TypeScript
AuthorTim Kelly
ISBN9780874409796
Music Byn/a
Duration75 minutes
Adapted Byn/a
Based Onn/a
No Of Acts2
Period Set InThe Present
SetInterior Ravenswood Manor
Male5
Female5
TypeScript
Performed ByTeen / Adult
NationalityAmerican
Royalty PlaySamuel French Inc.
Reading GroupYes
Sale Price$25.95 (excl. GST and postage)
Our reference77946


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