Rope

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.

Rope premiered in London at the Ambassadors Theatre on 25 April 1929. Directed by Reginald Denham, the production featured Brian Aherne, Anthony Ireland and Ernest Milton. Retitled Rope’s End, the play premiered on Broadway at the John Golden Theatre (then called the Theatre Masque) on 13 September 1929. Directed by Denham, the Broadway production featured Sebastian Shaw and Ivan Brandt, with Ernest Milton reprising his performance as Rupert Cadell.