Poor Murderer
by Herbert Berghof, Laurence Luckinbill, Pavel Kohout
Synopsis
It is a play within a play set in a St. Petersburg mental institution in 1900.
An actor playing Hamlet imagines he has killed Polonius—really killed him.
Or has he?
By staging a psychodrama that enlists his former colleagues, he seeks to prove his sanity.
But the developing action accumulates increasing evidence of deeply rooted instability.
A running conflict between actor and the institution's head doctor is interrupted by flashbacks that recall his childhood, his stage career and his theater relationships.
Where does the truth lie in this brilliant play that moves on several levels?
Press Reviews
"A strange, dazzling and intellectual play.... I recommend the work most strongly.... One of the highlights of our season."
— The New York Times
Publication
Poor Murderer is a play written by Herbert Berghof and published by Samuel French (1975).
Community Reviews
No community reviews yet
Buy Play
Paperback
Samuel French · 1975 · 102 pp
Performance Rights
Restrictions: Major Markets Only (US) / Standard Restriction (UK)
Apply for Rights
Similar Plays
Plays with similar themes, style, and content.
