Getting Away With Murder

by Stephen Sondheim, George Furth

“ Getting Away with Murder is more fun than a roomful of Agatha Christies.” —Daily News Longtime musical theatre collaborators Stephen Sondheim and George Furth, who together created the landmark musical Company , have joined forces again to create a compellingly original thriller—Mr. Sondheim’s first nonmusical play. Getting Away with Murder unfolds on a stormy night on Manhattan’s Upper West Side at a group therapy session. The patients arrive only to find that their faithful, Pulitzer Prize-winning psychiatrist is missing. What unfolds is a classic whodunit in the tradition of Sleuth and The Mousetrap that harkens back to Sondheim’s screenplay collaboration with Anthony Perkins on the cult film The Last of Sheila . Getting Away with Murder , originally produced at San Diego’s Old Globe Theatre, was produced on Broadway in 1996.

Genres: Plays, Theatre, Mystery, Drama

128 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1997

About the author

Stephen Joshua Sondheim was an American musical and film composer and lyricist, winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards (seven, more than any other composer), multiple Grammy Awards, and a Pulitzer Prize. He has been described as the Titan of the American Musical.

His most famous scores include (as composer/lyricist) A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd, Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods, and Assassins, as well as the lyrics for West Side Story and Gypsy. He was president of the Dramatists Guild from 1973 to 1981.

Reviews

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

The thing is... this idea could have worked. Alas... it doesn't. I'm not sure what Sondheim and Furth were going for here (to maybe out-sleuth 'Sleuth'?). But how did the authors not notice that, for a 'comedy thriller', there is only one (count 'em, one) actual joke and the thrills are largely questionable.

These two famous guys wrote two musicals together: the game-changing and influential 'Company' (which is currently enjoying yet another revival on Broadway) and the much-less memorable 'Merrily We Roll Along'. Furth's book for 'Company' is serviceable at best - and it's dwarfed by Sondheim's remarkable score. Furth's awkward book for 'Merrily...' proved to be far-less inspiring for its composer.

Sondheim had previously written a (screen) thriller - with Anthony Perkins: the delicious brain-tease that is 'The Last of Sheila' (which I occasionally rewatch because, yes, it's that much fun!). While the thought of a newer thriller (half) by Sondheim was intriguing, it's unfortunate that Perkins passed away before he could reunite with Sondheim for the stage.

Reading the 'Getting Away...' script with 'Sheila' in mind, it's not all that difficult to imagine the contributions that each author brought to this piece. It also becomes apparent that Perkins was most likely responsible for most of the many jokes laced throughout 'Sheila'.

Putting the lack of humor / wit in 'Getting Away...' aside, however, its main problem is that it's simply trying too hard. What should have more of a sleight-of-hand feel to it seems forced.

As well, the character types seem superficially drawn (which wouldn't be a problem if there were more real jokes). What made the characters in 'Sheila' come much more alive was the fact that, in that script, Sondheim and Perkins created characters drawn from the world of Hollywood; those were types that they knew quite well. Conversely, the types in 'Getting Away...' feel like people who the authors met once in passing, at parties, but otherwise knew very little about.

The original production lasted 17 performances on Broadway. You can find a collage clip of scenes from that production on YouTube. From that alone, it's not all that hard to see why it flopped.

[Doug · Rating 2 out of 5]

My interest in this (other than the fact it's friggin' SONDHEIM) was spurred on by these clips from the Broadway production: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYk9P.... But even there, one can see why this was a monumental flop, despite some classy actors lending their talents. And the large cast and prohibitively expensive set and special effects would deter many companies from attempting it. But the main problem is...it's just plain ... dull! I was expecting something more along the lines of Sondheim's much better 'The Last of Sheila'.

[Eva B.]

Finding the Sondheim and Furth (aka the duo behind my favorite musical and, if it bears repeating, STEPHEN SONDHEIM!!!!) comedy thriller play at the used bookstore....serendipity

[Tiffany Day · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. The first half was pretty tedious due to the extreme stereotypes of the characters... granted, they were part of the story, as later explained, but that didn't make it any easier to trudge through. I liked the original ending (can't imagine why one would change it), but not really enough to love the show. I'd probably give it 2 1/2 stars.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

Competently written, but ultimately uninteresting. The first act is entirely expository set-up and the second act is just a drawn out conclusion with few surprises.

[Jeff · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Sondheim, but he clearly picked the right artistic outlet because this is a dud.

[Brian McCann · Rating 1 out of 5]

2018: Just terrible. And I saw one of its few Broadway performances. Reading it some 22 years later didn’t improve the plot.

2025: Still bad. How could my American musical hero have written this?

[Marissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Getting Away with Murder is an oddity in Stephen Sondheim’s oeuvre: his only non-musical play and one of his least fondly remembered works. (I should know—I’ve been a Sondheim devotee for two decades but am only getting around to reading this now.) He co-wrote it with George Furth, returning to the “neurotic New Yorkers” milieu of their previous collaborations Company and Merrily We Roll Along. The play is a murder mystery: seven participants in a group therapy session discover their psychiatrist dead on the couch, and they are the only people who have access to that floor of the building. Whodunit?

It feels like this play wants to be a taut thriller taking place in a single location in real time, but throughout the first act, there are clunky flashback scenes that take place in other locations. This might work on film, but feels silly onstage. Worse, these scenes are intended to explain the events leading up to the murder, but I don’t think the murderer’s motivation is very convincing… and at any rate, it isn’t explored any further in Act Two.

While I didn’t guess the twist at the end of the first act, I quickly spotted the major second-act twist and felt annoyed that the characters hadn’t caught on to it. I’m referring to the device of each therapy patient embodying one of the Seven Deadly Sins. An astute reader might even be able to figure this out by reading the character names in the cast list. Isn’t Sondheim supposed to be cleverer and less predictable than that?

Indeed, I’d say that Sondheim isn’t just one of our greatest songwriters, but one of our greatest writers, period, when it comes to exploring the psyches of very smart, very conflicted people. However, no one in Getting Away with Murder seems particularly smart or particularly complicated. They remain two-dimensional “Deadly Sins” stereotypes, like something out of a medieval allegory.

I have to agree with other GR reviewers and say that if you want a genuinely clever and disturbing murder mystery co-written by Sondheim, you should watch his film The Last of Sheila instead. (I’m predicting a surge of interest in that movie this fall because the trailer for Rian Johnson’s Glass Onion is giving major Sheila vibes!) Also, Sweeney Todd is ten times funnier, ten times more thrilling, and ten times more moving than this play. That’s what’s so disappointing: if Getting Away with Murder were written by Joe Blow, I might find it sort of amusing, but we know Sondheim is capable of so much more than this.

[Wendell Barnes · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have had this book on my shelves for years but finally decided to read it because a local community theatre is doing a production of it. Although I am a big fan of all things Sondheim I can’t add this to that list. I know he was a big fan of puzzles and I know that perhaps this would be easier to follow visually on stage than on the page, but it was confusing to read. I even considered reading it again, but overall I was disappointed. Don’t think my wife and I will be making the drive to the community theatre to what is sure to be another disappointment. Still love and miss you Steve but glad you focused on musicals.

[Jordan Muschler · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wish I liked this more... there's many clever moments and ideas, but I don't think they form a cohesive whole. The show is not nearly as funny as it needs to be, and the last act of reveals and surprises feels very contrived and unnatural. Its advantage is in its wit and structure, but the characters are hard to become invested in or find interesting and so this did not work for me as a whole.

[Barbara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Slow start; complicated set with demanding and specific lighting requirements; flashbacks in time indicated by digital clocks onstage. Top heavy with male characters, 7m, 4w. Too dark and violent for us.

[Anne, Unfinished Woman · Rating 4 out of 5]

While subtitled "A Comedy Thriller", the comedy is mostly sarcasm and nastiness. Nevertheless, this is a very entertaining play. Read for Interpretive Play Reading at OLLI, 8/19, my selection.

[Bobby Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seriously wild ending to Act 1.

[Grace · Rating 1 out of 5]

Goodreads needs a zero star rating

[Scott · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just dreadful!

[Stuart · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thrilling, fast-paced read hampered only by a lack of likable characters, though there are certainly plenty of funny moments and with the right pacing it would make for an enjoyable production (though its million of tiny details and somewhat large cast would also make for an expensive production). Interesting to see Sondheim apply his meticulous style to a non-musical medium and the collaboration between him and Furth is seamless. The ending of Act One is spectacular and unexpected but I was a bit sad that some characters weren't given more to do. Still... I'd buy tickets to a production if someone was putting it on...

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

A modest mystery with a few interesting touches (the murderer is exposed at the end of Act One, allowing Act Two to go off in an odd direction...). Inevitably recalls Sondheim's wonderful screenplay for the underrated, undercelbrated "The Last of Sheila"

[Benjamin Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful play with alternate endings. Great characters that are easy to despise, and kind of funny in a dark sort of way. Fans of Into The Woods and Sweeny Todd will like it even though it is not a musical.

[Terri · Rating 3 out of 5]

A group of patients show up for their group therapy session on a stormy Manhattan night to find their therapist murdered.

Some nice twists and turns but overall, pretty slow and predictable.

[Joseph · Rating 3 out of 5]

Been trying to keep track of my line learning. Well, With luck and my friend Kristin, I'm on my way finally!