Synopsis
The excitement, maneuvers and comedy of the Paul Newman/Robert Redford screen triumph have been brilliantly adapted for stage production by one of the finest professional playwrights writing today. This show takes place in Chicago many years ago in a world of small-time hustlers and their girls—their money nonexistent but their ingenuity abundant. Johnny Hooker (a small-time grifter played by Redford in the film) joins a friend in a successful con of a "runner." Unfortunately for them, the runner works for a powerful, vindictive rackets boss, Doyle Lonnegan, who is infuriated and arranges the killing of Johnny's friend. Hoping to avenge this senseless murder, Johnny enlists the aid of the master con man Henry Gondorf (originally played by Newman). Together they decide to try the big con called "The Wire." Structured in classic style, their first move is "The Set Up." From there they proceed to "The Tale." The tension mounts as they succeed and, with the powerful Lonnegan half-hooked, go on to "The Shut Out." The excitement becomes explosive and a final scene, with switch upon switch upon switch, has your audience guessing and gasping as it builds to the final con movement, "The Sting!" This is a wonderfully theatrical and yet authentic exploration of a very special world.
Details
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Status
In stock
- Type of Show Full-length Play
- Product Code S69000
- Cast Size 30
- Min. Royalty Rate $110/perf
- Cost $11.95
- Approx. Run Time 140 min
Categories
- Target Audience Middle School | High School | College and Adult | Family (all ages) | Senior Adults
- Performing Group Middle School | High School | College Theatre | Community Theatre | Professional Theatre
- Genre Comedy | Drama
- ISBN(13) 9780871292803
Customer Reviews
- "The Sting is a terrific opportunity for our actors to explore not only their talents but a time period. I highly recommend it as a high school production."
- Review by Karla Cornish, Grinnell High School, Grinnell, IA
- "Excellent -- fun for students -- great for movements and stage craft."
- Review by Bjorn Christensen, Ballenas Secondary, Parksville, BC
- "The Sting captures the snappy dialogue well. Good adaptation of a movie. Great choice for a high school play because of name recognition."
- Review by Kyle Elsbernd, Craig High School, Janesville, Wis.
- "Great fun to produce! Colorful characters, intriguing plot twists, fast-paced action, and an explosive final scene make this play exciting to direct. Love the area staging. One of the best plays I've ever doneÑeveryone loved it."
- Review by Johnnie Hill, Tullahoma High School, Tullahoma, Tenn.
- "The script is very faithful to the original movie and really captures the spirit of the story in a theatrical, yet easy-to-produce manner."
- Review by Ralph Maffongelli, Sheboygan Theatre Company, Sheboygan, Wis.
- "The Sting is a great show to teach students the joy of taking the audience by surprise. The adaptation is great, especially the addition of more female characters to balance the cast. Lots of small roles for new actors with fun roles for veteran performers. Bravo, Dramatic Publishing!"
- Review by Brian Bagley-Bonner, Newbury High School, Newbury, Ohio
Hints, Tips, and Tricks
- "Keep the set simple and creative to help with the flow of action."
- Tip by Dana McAfee, Warsaw Community High School, Warsaw, Ind.
Production Map
| Location | City | State | Opens | Closes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Theatre Aquarius | Hamilton | Ontario | 5/30/2024 | 6/1/2024 |
Gallery
Ballard High School, Huxley, IA
Finneytown High School, Cincinnati, OH
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