Tehran-Tehran Theatre Complex holds the 1929 play “Rope” written by Patrick Hamilton at Medea Hall.
Seyyed Amirali Mirzad directed the cast’s plays by Behnam Amoukhalili, Ali Abdolrahimzadeh, Mohammadali aghaei, Sajjad Jafari, Sajjad Jafari, Fatemeh Shoghi, Shakiba Motazedi and Ardalan Razmi.
The play was said to have been inspired by the real-life murder of 14-year-old Bobby Frank by University of Chicago students Nathan Leopold and Richard Roeb in 1924.
The play is set on the first floor of a house in Mayfair, London in 1929. The story is about two young college students, Wyndham Brandon and Charles Graniro.
For adventure, danger, and pleasure in things, Wyndham Brandon persuades his weak friend, Charles Graniro, to help murder a fellow undergraduate student, a completely harmless man named Ronald Raglan. They place their bodies on wooden chests and invite several acquaintances to the party, including the father of a dead young man, to add spice to the handiwork.
Questions arise among guests regarding the contents of their breasts. After the party, one guest, a former professor of murderer named Rupert Cadell, returned to open his chest. He is shocked and embarrassed that they acted in response to his own declaration of immorality. The play ends with this difficult unresolved one.
In 1948, Alfred Hitchcock made a film of the same name based on the play, although there were some changes. The setting will move to New York City in the 1940s, with all characters renamed except Rupert Cadel. In the film, Cadell is played by James Stewart. Hitchcock is the only feature film version of the play so far.
In 1983, Rope was made into a drama as a BBC Radio 4 drama from Saturday Night Theatre, starring Alan Rickman as Cadell.
Patrick Hamilton (1904-1962) was an English playwright and novelist. He is well known to Graham Green and JB Priestley, and his study of novels has been revived due to their distinctive style. They show strong sympathy for the poor and show Acervik’s black humor.
The “Rope” will remain on stage at the Tehran Theater Complex, located at No. 3 of Farhangi Alley on Besarshiraj Road on Engelab Avenue until May 23rd.
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