A SAMUEL FRENCH, LTD. TITLE

Love from a Stranger

Full-Length Play, Drama  /  4w, 4m

Agatha Christie, Frank Vosper

By Agatha Christie & Frank Vosper

A tense psychological thriller in two acts taken from Philomel Cottage and The Stranger.

Love from a Stranger

Request licence
Get the Script
  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    4w, 4m
  • Duration
    Duration
    More than 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Mystery/Thriller
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult

Details

Summary

Cecily Harrington has led a staid and proper existence. After winning a large amount of money in a sweepstake she desperately yearns for a life of adventure. Enter Bruce Lovell, a handsome and charming stranger who sweeps her off her feet. In a whirlwind romance, she recklessly abandons her job, friends and fiancé to settle in the remote and blissful surroundings of a country cottage. However, her newfound “love from a stranger” is not what it seems and in an astonishingly tense final scene, Cecily discovers the ghastly truth of her new love. 

History

Produced at the New Theatre, St. Martin’s Lane, London, W.C.2, on March 31st, 1936. 

Performing Groups
LOUIS GARRARD
MAVIS WILSON
CECILY HARRINGTON
BRCE LOVELL
NIGEL LAWRENCE
HODGSON
ETHEL
DR. GRIBBLE
  • Time Period Contemporary
  • Duration More than 120 minutes (2 hours)

Media

REVIEWS
“The final act is sure of its effect. The suspense is maintained; each turn of the story is clear and striking; the terror-stricken self-control of the girl and the man’s gross and abominable insanity are depicted with every refinement. A successful thriller.“ – Charles Morgan

“A brilliant terror play… our blood was gloriously curdled.” – The Daily Herald

“There is authentic and tremendous suspense about the struggle between Bruce and his wife. One feels that, if any bird did nest near this cottage, it would be the croaking raven or the fatal owl.” – Ivor Brown, The Observer

ON BREAKING CHARACTER
Great Roles in Agatha Christie Plays
by Chris Chan
16 April 2019

Play by Play: The Theatrical Works of Agatha Christie
1 September 2025

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £70 per performance plus VAT when applicable.

    Please submit a license request to determine availability.

Scripts

Available Formats:
Get the Script

Authors

Agatha Christie

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 ...

View full profile
Author

Now Playing