Whodunnit: A Comedy Thriller

by Anthony Shaffer

Mystery / 7 male, 3 female

Paperback

First published November 2, 2010

About the author

This profile is for the British playwright. For the American military officer, see Anthony Shaffer.

Anthony Shaffer is best-known as the author of the mystery-thriller play Sleuth, in addition to other plays and screenplays involving crime and mystery themes. His identical twin brother, Peter Shaffer, was also a playwright.

Reviews

[Doug · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5, rounded up.

Unlike his twin brother Peter (Equus, Amadeus, etc.) Anthony Shaffer only had one real hit play - Sleuth. A decade after that phenomenon, he tried to make lighting strike twice with this comic thriller - but not only is it rather convoluted - it is neither very humorous, nor particularly suspenseful.

A neat twist takes place at the beginning of the second act, but the voiceover of the murderer that keeps interrupting the action is bizarre, to say the least. Despite a starry Bway cast - which included Fred Gwynne, George Hearn, Barbara Baxley and Hermione Baddeley - it only managed a modest 5 month run back in 1982 - and doubt it saw many other productions. Oddly enuf - Gwynne played the detective and is ONLY in the 2nd Act - George Hearn played the victim - and is only in the FIRST act (he's decapitated at the end of Act 1!) - should have saved $ and had one actor play both parts!

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anthony Shaffer, author of SLEUTH and screenwriter of the films FRENZY, DEATH ON THE NILE and EVIL UNDER THE SUN, takes all the trappings of an Agatha Christie manor house murder with all the usual cliche suspects and sets up the boiler plate plot of one guest and all the others that want to kill him ... and the murder happens at the end of ACT 1. Then, Act 2 throws you for a loop when an investigating Scotland Yard man arrives with his sergeant and things get more complicated. Telling more would spoil the surprises, but this is a crafty construction about the expectations we assume with this type of the mystery genre. It's well-written and can be quite funny and the surprises 'unmasked' in the second act are great. You think you are playing a game of CLUE, but the game is playing you.

[Max · Rating 2 out of 5]

Anthony Shaffer was much better at deconstructing serious detective fiction then he was parodying it. I found WHODUNIT too specific of a satire that does a poor job of welcoming the audience into a chaotic mansion in which a murder takes place. There is a genuine surprise at the end of Act One but it was not enough to make up for how generally annoying and full of itself the rest of the script reads.

[Chris Kenyon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable classic whodunnit with a twist. Would love to see this on stage!

[Alif · Rating 3 out of 5]

i must say the premise was clever! would have liked it more as a novel!

[Carolyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Play was okay, but it seems complicated to stage. Also, I hate plays that involve smoking.

[PandaMorningYawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

overall a little ridiculous, but was something to pass the time. I'd have been pissed if I wasted my time reading it instead of listening to it on the drive to work.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

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