Rule of Three

A triple bill of short, contrasting plays comprising Afternoon at the Seaside, The Rats and The Patient.

Running time: 2 hours 10 minutes

Synopsis

Rule of Three
This triple bill of one act murder mysteries combines: the light hearted comedy Afternoon at the Seaside, in which a detective attempts to find a priceless emerald necklace and the culprit who stole it; The Rats, a dark and chilling tale in which a pair of adulterous lovers find themselves lured to a flat, trapped like rats and framed for murder; and finally, The Patient, a tense thriller in which a woman has been hospitalised after seemingly falling from her balcony.

Play information

Location
See individual pages for Afternoon At The Seaside, The Rats and The Patient for setting and character information for each play.
Running time
2 hours 10 minutes

Character list

  • Number of male characters: 0
  • Number of female characters: 0

Performing this play

More about this play

Rule Of Three was first presented on tour in the United Kingdom in 1961 and subsequently opened at the Duchess Theatre in the West End in 1962.
A trio of playlets devoted, like the rest of her work, to whetting one's appetite for retribution.
Kenneth Tynan, The Observer