Rope

Rope by Patrick Hamilton  

For full details, visit hobnob theatre.

PERFORMANCES  
Friday, March 13, 7:30 pm
Saturday, March 14, 7:30 pm
Sunday, March 15,  2:30 pm
Thursday, March 19, 7:30 pm
Friday, March 20, 7:30 pm
Saturday, March 21, 7:30 pm.

134 South Main Street, Butler, PA 16001
412.736.2535

Believing themselves to be intellectually superior to their contemporaries, two young university students,  Wyndham Brandon and Charles Granillo, have murdered fellow student Ronald Kentley as an expression of their supposed intellectual superiority. With Kentley’s body still warm, they proceed to host a party for his friends and family atop the locked chest in which his corpse is hidden. Throughout the night, speculation arises among the guests as to the contents of the chest. Tension increases during the evening  as Rupert, a former teacher/housemaster of Brandon and Granillo, becomes suspicious as to the whereabouts of young Ronald Kentley and the reason for the strange dining arrangement.

Rope explores themes of intellectual superiority, morality, and the consequences of unchecked arrogance,  culminating in the unraveling of their perfect crime as their guests, including Ronald’s father and a former teacher, become suspicious. The play is inspired by the real-life case of Leopold and Loeb, two American students who murdered a young boy in 1924. First produced and published in 1929, and adapted for film by Alfred Hitchcock in 1948, Rope remains one of the classics of the thriller genre, and its themes are still relevant today.

As an interesting side note, there is a Butler connection to this story. Joan Chandler, who played a leading role in the Alfred Hitchcock film, was born and raised in Butler and attended Butler High School. Her father, William Carl Cheeseman, was a Butler businessman who managed a local car dealership.