Before it was turned into a film in 1948 by the "Master of Suspense" himself (Alfred Hitchcock), Rope was a play. Written by Patrick Hamilton in 1929, Rope was what was known as a "well-made play," meaning that it followed a traditional three-act structure, and included numerous structural dramatic conventions of that time period. The action of the play, much like that of the film into which it was adapted, took place in real time. The first production premiered on March 3, 1929 at the Strand Theatre in London. It then opened on the West End the following month. The play transferred to Broadway in September of 1929, where it was retitled Rope's End.
The original version of Rope bears numerous similarities to Hitchcock's stage adaptation, but there are several notable differences. While both scripts seek to fictionalize the infamous real-life murderers Leopold and Loeb, Hamilton's theatrical version took place in London and all the characters were British. While Hitchcock's film is not particularly marked by the fact that it's set in New York, it is unmistakably American. Additionally, almost all the character names were changed for the American film, except Rupert Cadell's. While Hitchcock chose to preserve the theatricality of the original play, its confinement to one room all the more highlighted by Hitchcock's attempt at making the film one continuous shot, the script itself reflects a number of differences and was adapted by Arthur Laurents and Hume Cronyn.
While Alfred Hitchcock's adaptation is undoubtedly the most famous version of the story of Rope, Patrick Hamilton's play has been produced and revived numerous times since its original production. Indeed, before he even made his version, Hitchcock was inspired to adapt the story into a full length play after seeing an experimental live broadcast of Hamilton's play on television. In 1983, the play was made into a radio broadcast for BBC starring Alan Rickman as Rupert Cadell. The play has never seen quite as much success as it had when it was first produced on the West End, but small theatre companies have continued to program Patrick Hamilton's most renowned work.
