The Playwrights Database
SIMON BRETT
(1945 - )Nationality: English
email: n/a Website: Click here
Literary Agent: Casarotto Ramsay and Associates Ltd
Simon Brett was born in Surrey and studied English at Oxford University. He worked as a producer in radio and television for some years, and in 1979 became a full-time writer. His first published work was a play, Cast in Order of Disappearance (1975), and it has been followed by others, including Silhouette (1998), which toured nationally starring Stephanie Beacham, a Bad Dream (2004) and two pantomimes: the Tale of Little Red Riding Hood (1998), and Sleeping Beauty (1999). He has also written for radio, including the series No Commitments, Dear Diary, Smelling of Roses and after Henry. He is perhaps best known for his detective novels, which are in three series: the Charles Paris series, comprising 16 books which include an amateur Corpse (1978), Murder Unprompted (1992), Corporate Bodies (1999) and Dead Room Farce (1997); the Mrs Pargeter series, which include a Nice Class of Corpse (1986), Mrs Pargeter's Package (1990), Mrs Pargeter's Plot (1996) and Mrs Pargeter's Point of Honour (1998), the eponymous heroine being a widow with a shadowy past; and the Fethering series, set in a fictional village on the south coast of england and including the Body on the Beach (2000), Murder in the Museum (2003) and the Stabbing in the Stables (2006). the latest book in this series is Blood at the Bookies (2008). Other novels include Dead Romantic (1985), adapted for BBC2, and a Shock to the System (1984) which was made into a film, starring Michael Caine. He has edited the Faber Books of Useful Verse (1981), Parodies (1984) and Diaries (1986), and his humorous non-fiction titles include a series of How to be a Little Sod books and the Watepaper Basket archive (1986). Simon Brett is a talented speaker, and performer of one-man 'crime in rhyme' Dramas, and a former chair of the Crime Writers association and the Society of authors. He lives in West Sussex.
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below is a list of Simon Brett's plays - click on a Play Title for more information
Bad Dream, A Cast In Order Of Disappearance Drake's Dream Healthy Grave, A Importance Of Being Earnest, The Mr Quigley's Revenge Mrs Gladys Moxon Murder In Play Putting the Kettle On Silhouette Sleeping Beauty Small Family Murder, A Tale Of Little Red Riding HoodBad Dream, A
Between June and November 1902, the year of the Coronation of Edward VII, Bellingford Amateur Dramaticks Society is rehearsing A Midsummer Night's Dream. It has the usual range of different personalities - stalwart group members, young lads about town, daughters of local businessmen and also the wealthy diamond-trade man, a devotee of Henry Irving, who is underwriting the production. This man's murder, set against Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee, the new craze of ping-pong and the invention of finger-printing broadens the plot and develops the characters.
Notes:
Commissioned to commemorate Sutton Amateur Dramatic Club centenary in 2002.
1st Produced:
Secombe Theatre, Sutton
12 Nov 2002
Organisations:
Sutton Amateur Dramatic Club
1st Published:
Samuel French, London, 2005
Music:
-
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Genre:
thriller
Parts:
Male: 8 Female: 12 Other: -
Further Reference:
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Top of PageCast In Order Of Disappearance
Synopsis:
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Notes:
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1st Produced:
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1975
Organisations:
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1st Published:
Heron, 1975
Music:
-
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Genre:
-
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
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Top of PageDrake's Dream
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Notes:
Music And lyrics by Lynne And Richard Riley; book by Simon Brett
1st Produced:
Shaftesbury Theatre, London
07 Dec 1977
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
-
Music:
Original cast recording; PReS (1068) 1977
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Genre:
Musical
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
-
Top of PageHealthy Grave, A
Robert and Hillary Travers, a childless married couple in their seventies, have had careers around the world as academics but in retirement their horizons have shrunk to a small cottage in the Cotswolds. Robert, one the life and soul of lecture hall and Senior Common Room, is now reduced to an audience of one - his wife. and she's heard all his stories before. alternately hilarious and heart-breaking, this is a study of marriage in old-age
Notes:
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1st Produced:
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Organisations:
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1st Published:
Josef Weinberger
Music:
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Genre:
Comedy
Parts:
Male: 1 Female: 1 Other: voices
Further Reference:
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Top of PageImportance Of Being Earnest, The
Synopsis:
The Importance of Being Earnest is known to elegantly lampoon the hypocrisies of a Victorian society and opens as two bachelors, the dependable John Worthing, J.P. and upper class playboy Algernon Moncrieff, feel compelled to create different identities in order to pursue two eligible ladies Cecily Cardew and Gwendolyn Fairfax. The hilarious misadventures which result from their subterfuge; their brushes with the redoubtable Lady Bracknell and the uptight Miss Prism results in a plot that twists and fizzles with some of the finest dialogue to be found in theatre.
Notes:
Oscar Wilde's much loved and brilliantly witty masterpiece The Importance of Being Earnest features an all-star cast comprising Rosalind Ayres, Niall Buggy, Patrick Godfrey, Nigel Havers, Martin Jarvis, Christine Kavanagh, Cherie Lunghi and Sian Phillips performing as The Bunbury Company of Players, in a new production directed by Lucy Bailey,designed by William Dudley with added material written by Simon Brett, lighting design by Oliver Fenwick, the composer and sound designer is Tom Mills.
1st Produced:
Harold Pinter Theatre, London
17 Jul 2014
Organisations:
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1st Published:
-
Music:
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Genre:
play
Parts:
Male: 7 Female: 6 Other: with doubling
Further Reference:
Top of PageMr Quigley's Revenge
Frinsley Village Hall is the hub of community life, lovingly tended by the amiable Mr Quigley, whose little blue book ensures the aerobics class never clashes with the wedding bookings. But plans are afoot to change this cosy existence. . . the invidious Keith has plans to sell the site. Feeling sure of success, Keith launches his attack on Mr. Quigley a big mistake, for Mr Quigley is wilier than he looks. Offers acting opportunities for all and great fun for the audience!
Notes:
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1st Produced:
Forest Community Centre, London
24 Oct 1997
Organisations:
Wadham Players
1st Published:
Samuel French, London, 1995
Music:
-
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Genre:
Comedy
Parts:
Male: 14 Female: 20 Other: -
Further Reference:
-
Top of PageMrs Gladys Moxon
Synopsis:
-
Notes:
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1st Produced:
Le Metro Club, New Compton Street, London
May 1970
Organisations:
Soho Theatre
1st Published:
-
Music:
-
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Genre:
-
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
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Top of PageMurder In Play
Boris Smolensky's budget repertory production of "Murder at Priorswell Manor" is looking decidedly shaky. the cast are more interested in their egos than the play and life imitates art when Boris's wife, Renee, is murdered on stage. Simon Brett's hilarious text, a worthy companion to his Charles Paris theatrical thriller novels, ruthlessly satirizes the politics of the inept company and the numerous red herrings keep the audience guessing until the final moments of the play.
Notes:
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1st Produced:
Wolverhampton: Grand Theatre, England, Eur >>>
25 Jun 2013
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Samuel French, London, 1994
Music:
-
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Genre:
Thriller
Parts:
Male: 3 Female: 5 Other: -
Further Reference:
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Top of PagePutting the Kettle On
Miggy, a 'sloane Ranger', has just been dumped by her boyfriend Roddy because she is 'shallow' and does not care for the environment in the way his new love, Harmony, does. Miggy tells us her sorry story as she wrestles with the environmental issues presented by the act of putting the kettle on to make a reviving cup of tea.
Notes:
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1st Produced:
-
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Samuel French, London, 2002
Music:
-
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Genre:
one act play
Parts:
Male: - Female: 1 Other: -
Further Reference:
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Top of PageSilhouette
In Act I of this ingeniously-structured thriller, Detective Inspector Bruton questions actress Celia Wallis about the murder of her husband Martin. Celia is quite obviously in the clear, but Neville Smallwood, the drunken journalist sleeping in her bed, argued with Martin shortly before the murder, and the solution to the initial puzzle seems simple. Act II takes place before the murder, and all our expectations, of the characters as well as of the plot, are turned on their heads.
Notes:
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1st Produced:
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Samuel French, London, 1998
Music:
-
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Genre:
Thriller
Parts:
Male: 4 Female: 2 Other: 2
Further Reference:
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Top of PageSleeping Beauty
the handsome prince awakens Sleeping Beauty with a kiss and all should live happily ever after. Unfortunately the Wicked Witch is still around and she kidnaps Beauty and forces her to work at polluting the world
Notes:
Book and lyrics by Simon Brett
1st Produced:
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Samuel French, London, 1999
Music:
Music by Sarah Travis
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Genre:
Pantomime
Parts:
Male: 4 Female: 4 Other: 4
Further Reference:
-
Top of PageSmall Family Murder, A
elderly Valerie Trevelyan has been murdered with an overdose of painkillers and there are suspicious bruises on her neck. Worse still is the fact that the two key suspects in the case are her sons, Gavin and Miles. Making no secret of their cold relationship with each other, both had a financial motive and the physical opportunity to have been the killer. as detectives interview the brothers, as well as their senile father, Lionel, secrets about the family are discovered as the clues mount up and clearly lead to one person. But is he actually the murderer? This can be performed with four men or as a one-man show.
Notes:
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1st Produced:
Arundel Football Club
Organisations:
arundel Festival Drip action Theatre Trail
1st Published:
Samuel French, London, 2007
Music:
-
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Genre:
Play/Drama
Parts:
Male: 1 Female: - Other: doubling
Further Reference:
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Top of PageTale Of Little Red Riding Hood
Pre-Revolution Siberia and the Boronski family have fallen foul of an evil fox who has condemned Siberia to eternal winter and sent a wolf to destroy the Boronskis
Notes:
Book and lyrics by Simon Brett
1st Produced:
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1998
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Samuel French, London, 1988
Music:
Music by Sarah Travis
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Genre:
Untraditional Pantomime
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: 8 Chorus
Further Reference:
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