Considering the Broadway thriller

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 8/30/21 at 3:16pm

The hilarious CHILDREN! CHILDREN! post has got me thinking about the Broadway thriller and what happened to it.  No one seems to write them anymore.  If anything, they seem to have evolved into more literate iterations like THE FERRYMAN or Conor McPherson's works, which fall onto more of the drama side of the spectrum.  It's also interesting to me that famous thrillers like DEATHTRAP, DIAL M, or ANGEL STREET hardly ever get revived on a large scale.  Does film just do this sort of thing better?  

What are some of your favorite Broadway or Off-Broadway thrillers (And don't you DARE bring up A PERFECT CRIME!).  Did anyone see some of the thrillers that had brief runs during its waning years like CHILD'S PLAY, VOICES IN THE DARK, or ACCOMPLICE?  

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 8/30/21 at 3:46pm

“Sweeney Todd” immediately comes to mind.

[JBroadway]

Posted: 8/30/21 at 3:47pm

Fun question! If you don't mind, I'll expand your question to encompass horror and mystery as well - as I think these are all similarly underused forms in theatre. And I'll also include non-Broadway stuff .

For mystery, we obviously Agatha Christie, but it seems like we don't see many others. For horror, the only true example I can think of offhand is "Woman in Black," and maybe a few others if I were to think about it more. Despite what the listicles will have us believe, I don't count shows like "Sweeney Todd" or "Little Shop" to be horror in the same sense that we use it to describe horror films. Though a case could be made that Sweeney Todd is a thriller. 

Anyway, here are some others creepy and/or mysterious and/or thrilling plays I've enjoyed in recent years: 

"The Headlands" - mystery 

"The Thin Place" - creepy ghost story.

"The Sound Inside" - suspense, elements of thriller/mystery

"Is This A Room" - debatable I suppose, but IMO it absolutely played like a slow-burn thriller 

"Dana H" - since I thought of "Is This a Room" it occurs to me that you could say the same about this one

"The Minutes" - mystery, with thriller elements, and even some horror at the end 

"A Soldier's Play" - mystery 

"Therese Raquin" - becomes a ghost story / thriller by the end 

"Judgement Day" - Ödön von Horváth's play - kind of a morality tale, but with a thriller-like structure 

"Let the Right One In" - Jack Thorne / John Tiffany's adaptation of the film was genuinely frightening at times, and very chilling and suspenseful throughout 

"The Red Bard" - David Hare's adaptation of a thriller novela

"Misery" - I know most people hated this, but as someone who hadn't seen the film or read the book, I was absolutely riveted by the stage version 

Many of Shakespeare's plays can play like thrillers depending on how they're done - Macbeth being an obvious example. 

Updated On: 8/30/21 at 03:47 PM

[uncageg]

Posted: 8/30/21 at 4:42pm

Not sure it would fall into this category but along with Sweeney Todd, which came to mind first for me also, "The Pillowman" also crossed my mind.

[rattleNwoolypenguin]

Posted: 8/30/21 at 4:53pm

As far as Broadway musicals go, nothing touches Sweeney Todd.

That level of tension and the use of the factory whistle. It really is a horror movie onstage.

Little Shop while wonderful I wouldn't classify with Sweeney Todd simply cause it's meant to be a B movie. It's supposed to be silly.

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 8/30/21 at 4:59pm

Is this true for the West End? I feel like they're still devoted to Agatha Christie adaptations as movies, miniseries, etc. so maybe they have more of a taste for mystery while America is more focused on procedurals. Lobby Hero and American Son are technically shows about the police. Though you'd think with the popularity of serial killer stuff and true crime, someone would write a play to capitalize on the interest.

I don't think a show with camp appeal like The Bad Seed would work now with people demanding nuance and sensitivity to mental illness. 

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 8/30/21 at 5:11pm

Seems everyone is doing Murder on the Orient Express regionally.

I love suspense / horror on stage.

[darquegk]

Posted: 8/30/21 at 5:30pm

The Humans defies genre, but definitely has at least one foot in intense Lynchian horror elements. But some directors play that up, while others downplay it to dig into the human drama side instead.

[TheGingerBreadMan]

Posted: 8/30/21 at 6:06pm

darquegk said: "The Humans defies genre, but definitely has at least one foot in intense Lynchian horror elements. But some directors play that up, while others downplay it to dig into the human drama side instead."

Came here to say The Humans as well. The only production that I've seen is the national tour, but based on that production, you could definitely argue that the end especially has some horror elements to it.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 8/30/21 at 7:17pm

Wait Until Dark was a great one!

[DooWahDiddy]

Posted: 8/30/21 at 8:01pm

uncageg said: "Not sure it would fall into this category but along with Sweeney Todd, which came to mind first for me also, "The Pillowman" also crossed my mind."

"The Pillowman" was incredible and still haunts me to this day.

Speaking of Sweeney Todd, didn't Sondheim write a play about the seven deadly sins or something? Wasn't that supposed to be a thriller?

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 8/30/21 at 8:54pm

I remember the end of “Shining City” scaring the bejeezus out of me.

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 8/30/21 at 9:20pm

DooWahDiddy said: "uncageg said: "Not sure it would fall into this category but along with Sweeney Todd, which came to mind first for me also, "The Pillowman" also crossed my mind."

"The Pillowman" was incredible and still haunts me to this day.

Speaking of Sweeney Todd, didn't Sondheim write a play about the seven deadly sins or something? Wasn't that supposed to be a thriller?"


Yes,Getting Away With Murder, which he co-wrote with George Furth. It got terrible reviews and closed quickly.

The Pillowman is one of my favorite plays and it can be very scary depending on the production.

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 8/30/21 at 9:54pm

I never understood the horror elements of The Humans. Like, i don’t get why they were in the play or what the author was trying to say? Looking forward to the movie though.

[morosco]

Posted: 8/30/21 at 10:20pm

Saw DEATHTRAP on Broadway all those years ago. Full of stunning surprises and plot twists. It was one of those where the audience would collective gasp and scream. It really is a tightly written play. 

Also, did anyone else see THE CRUCIFER OF BLOOD? There were some great moments in that as well that made the audiences jump out of their seats.

Edward Gorey's DRACULA was a fun experience. Designed to be like watching a black and white film. (With one touch of read in each act, a rose, a glass of red wine.)

[VernonGersch]

Posted: 8/30/21 at 10:51pm

I rememeber maybe ten years back there was a West End revival of DEATHTRAP with Jonathan Groff directed my Matthew Warchus which looked super compelling - wish I got the chance to see it.

Agree that THE HUMANS had elements of pure creepy horror whiuch had me on the edge of my seat

[darquegk]

Posted: 8/30/21 at 11:10pm

I’m not sure the horror elements in The Humans “mean” something; I think the Lynchian magic realism and “things happen” vibe are meaningless in an intentional way. A family on the edge of dissolution, in a strange building, experience a bizarre atmosphere of psychic energy and malaise. The fact that it isn’t symbolic or something doesn’t make it wrong or unnecessary, just like Mulholland Drive wouldn’t be a better movie without the magic hobo or the tiny senior citizens.

[Lot666]

Posted: 8/31/21 at 10:08am

The Woman in White

[NameGreg]

Posted: 8/31/21 at 10:30am

Sweeney is obviously untouched in this department. Phantom isn’t as pure horror, but it does have its fair share of delightfully creepy moments.

[uncageg]

Posted: 8/31/21 at 11:53am

morosco said: "Saw DEATHTRAP on Broadway all those years ago. Full of stunning surprises and plot twists. It was one of those where the audience would collective gasp and scream. It really is a tightly written play.

Also, did anyone else see THE CRUCIFER OF BLOOD? There were some great moments in that as well that made the audiences jump out of their seats.

Edward Gorey's DRACULA was a fun experience. Designed to be like watching a black and white film. (With one touch of read in each act, a rose, a glass of red wine.)

"

How did I forget "Dracula"?! Saw it twice with Langella on Broadway. Loved it.

[boylikethat]

Posted: 8/31/21 at 12:02pm

It was more of a dark comedy but Hand to God definitely had horror elements to it. Saw it from the front row and the final scene and epilogue made me jump in my seat. 

[TheGingerBreadMan]

Posted: 8/31/21 at 12:09pm

I suppose Carrie would also fit into horror theatre. I never found the show particularly "scary", but depending on how the destruction at the end is staged, it can be pretty thrilling.

Though it's a parody, Evil Dead: The Musical could also fit.

I've seen some stagings of Macbeth that I would call scary. Again, it's all about how it's directed.

Maybe Bug by Tracy Letts? I wouldn't necessarily call it "horror", but it's weird in an unsettling way.

[Alex Kulak2]

Posted: 8/31/21 at 12:10pm

They're all off-Broadway, but the works of Aaron Mark are some of the scariest things I've ever read. Squeamish, Another Medea, Empanada Loca, and his newest work for Audible, The Vanishing Negative.

[FosseTharp]

Posted: 8/31/21 at 12:27pm

I wasn’t alive to see either the original Broadway production or the Broadway Revival, but my absolute favorite thriller written for the stage is the play THE INNOCENTS by William Archibald (based on The Turn of the Screw). The film adaptation starring Deborah Kerr is also one of my favorite films of all time.

[Melissa25]

Posted: 9/1/21 at 12:22am

I definitely agree that Sweeney Todd must lead the list of best thrillers.  Just that whistle alone sends shivers down my spine.  I got to sit a few feet away from Norm Lewis as Sweeney and I was unnerved. I literally had to look away.  

The Beauty Queen of Leenane was quite dark and not really a thriller but I kept thinking about it long afterwards.

One of my favorite diabolical characters is Mr. Lockhart (memorably played by Ciaran Hinds) in McPherson’s The Seafarer. I just loved this play so much. It was perfect at the Booth.

I had high hopes for Wait Until Dark since I loved the movie but Tarantino was not creepy enough.

McDonagh’s Hangmen was thrilling at the Atlantic and I am sorry we are not going to get to see it on Broadway in 2022.

Amy Herzog’s Belleville which played at the NYTW was scary and disturbing as it explored paranoia and intimacy in a new marriage.