SleuthProgram cover
By Anthony Shaffer
Review by Ernest Edwards
I had never heard of the play Sleuth before. It’s written by Anthony Shaffer, whose twin brother is playwright Peter Shaffer. Peter wrote the plays Amadeus, Equus and Lettice and Loveage to name a few. Sleuth did go on to win the Tony Award for best play in 1971. Anthony Shaffer also went on to write the screenplay for the first film adaptation made in 1972 with Lawerence Olivier as Andrew Wyke and Michael Caine as Milo Tindle. There is also a 2007 film version with Michael Caine as Andrew Wyke and Jude Lawe as Milo Tindle. I have not seen either of the film versions, I wanted to wait until I see the play at the Guthrie Theatre first. Oh what a play it is!
Sleuth at the Guthrie Theater is wonderful. The play takes place at Andrew Wyke’s manor in Willshire, England many decades ago. Let me tell you, Todd Rosenthal’s scenery is gorgeous. The scenery is two stories with a spiral staircase, huge chandeliers, a fireplace wall with several heads from game hunting. All of this beautiful scenery was secretly hidden behind the stage curtain. It was a luscious surprise when the curtain went up at the start of the play.
For the cast, we have Ramiz Monsef as Andrew Wyke, and John Tufts as Milo Tindle.
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| John Tufts as Milo Tindle and Ramiz Monsef as Andrew Wyke. Photo credit: Dan Norman. |
The story is about how Andrew Wyke invite his wife’s young lover, Milo Tindle over to the Manor house for drinks. That’s really about all I can say without giving too much away.
Sleuth is a mystery play, but not in the same manner as the Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes stories. It’s a mystery play, but not exactly a whodunnit. The play is so well crafted and the acting is so amazing. It keeps you guessing until the end.
The performances by Ramiz Monsef and John Tufts are not to be missed.
There’s great information in the program about playwright Anthony Shaffer and some great “crack the code” games in the program. Plenty of good reading before the play begins.
The play has a run time of about two and half hours, including the intermission. Sleuth continues at the Guthrie Theatre through May 10, 2026. Check out www.guthrietheater.org for tickets.
