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Deceived

This crackling new adaptation of Patrick Hamilton’s Gaslight, streamlined to a cast of just four actors, reframes the story to strengthen and empower the central character of Bella; in this version of the classic suspense thriller, the audience wonders, “Can Bella find the strength to save herself?”

More information

Description

  • Full Length Play
  • Drama, Mystery/Thriller
  • 120 minutes

  • Time Period: 1900-1910
  • Target Audience: Adult
  • Set Requirements: Interior Set
  • Cautions: Alcohol, Mild Adult Themes

  • Performance Group:
  • College Theatre / Student, Community Theatre, Professional Theatre
Bella Manningham thinks she’s losing her mind. In the evenings, she hears strange sounds and the gaslights dim for no apparent reason. But is she losing her grip on reason, or is it being loosened for her?

Patrick Hamilton’s 1938 play gave us the word we now use for an insidious form of mental abuse. This new adaptation from Johnna Wright and Patty Jamieson is a gripping thriller: Will the gaslight have its intended, murderous, effect?
From the authors' introduction to the play:

“In Angel Street, a police inspector explains the mystery to [Bella] while she reacts with surprise and dismay. Bella does a lot of listening in the play, but doesn’t have the opportunity to take much action… Our version starts off much the same as the original. But part way through something changes, something that puts Bella at the heart of a story many of us are living right now, in one way or another. No spoilers here, but in this version there is no police inspector. No one is coming to save Bella. The question is, can she find the strength to save herself?” 
– Johnna Wright & Patty Jamieson, 2022
REVIEWS:

"Skilled and suspenseful… a smart and satisfying update."

The Toronto Star

"Nobody is coming to rescue Bella Manningham. And that’s a good thing… The result is a total overhaul, complete with a nifty Act I curtain that forces audiences to spill into the lobby, sputtering, ‘What should she do now?’"

The New York Times

"Skilled and suspenseful… a very satisfying piece of theatrical reinvention… Wright and Jamieson have cut the character of Rough and made the central action of the play Bella’s journey towards empowerment and enlightenment, aided by Elizabeth. The innovation also comes through in the elegance of the writing, which becomes a constant, subtle cut-and-thrust rather than Hamilton’s pattern of question and response… bring a smart friend to this show to share the fun afterwards of combing through what happened, picking up cues and evidence in retrospect."

The Toronto Star

"[A] great new adaptation… a Victorian thriller melded with a dash of 21st-century female fortitude… [Wright and Jamieson] have masterfully developed a novel twist in which Bella is no damsel in distress, but rather cunning, [using] her inherent wits and the help of Elizabeth to save herself from unraveling. The story actually bends beautifully as the audience is rooting for Bella by the end instead of feeling sorry for her supposed sad plight."

Broadway World

"A beautifully polished work that keeps audiences guessing… [it] is that rare theatrical show, a thriller that really does keep its audience gripped from beginning to end."

Megaphone Oz

"Has pretty much everything: drama, noir, pretty mis-en-scene and dark undertones. Very much ahead of its time."

Cream Magazine, Australia

Premiere Production:
  • Deceived premiered in 2022, under the title Gaslight, at the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. Directed by Kelli Fox, the production featured Julie Lumsden, Kate Hennig, André Morin and Julia Course.

    • Characters

    • Casting: 1M, 3F
    • Casting Attributes: Strong Role for Leading Woman (Star Vehicle)

  • BELLA – A young married woman, about 25, with possibly a nervous disposition. Bella loves and trusts her husband, and only begins to doubt his sincerity when circumstances force her to do so. As the story progresses, she must accept a new reality, and find a strength – and cunning – she didn’t know she had.

  • JACK – Her husband, 35-40, debonair and charming. Jack is the most loving, sympathetic and supportive partner he could possibly be, or so it seems for most of the play.

  • ELIZABETH – The housekeeper, 50s-60s, hard of hearing. A lifetime “in service” has taught her to remain as dutiful and discreet as possible, and to keep her opinions to herself except in extreme circumstances.

  • NANCY – The young housemaid, her eye on the main chance. Smart and perceptive, she thinks she sees an opportunity to outsmart everyone.

    • Available Material

    Name Price
    Deceived Script This is optional. Order Now

    Bella Manningham thinks she’s losing her mind. In the evenings, she hears strange sounds and the gaslights dim for no apparent reason. But is she losing her grip on reason, or is it being loosened for her?

    Patrick Hamilton’s 1938 play gave us the word we now use for an insidious form of mental abuse. This new adaptation from Johnna Wright and Patty Jamieson is a gripping thriller: Will the gaslight have its intended, murderous, effect?

    		$24.95

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