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About The Letter, A Play in Three Acts (Unabridged)

The wife of a plantation manager in "British Malaysia" shoots a man of their acquaintance while her husband is away from home. She claims that the man she shot had attempted to rape her. Her lawyer supposes that her defense will be rather straightforward until his law clerk informs him that a blackmailer possesses evidence that will incriminate her. The defendant and her lawyer must determine whether it is best to 'explain away' the potentially damning implications of the titular letter or pay the sum demanded for its suppression.

The Letter premiered (24 February 1927) at London's Playhouse Theatre where it ran 60 weeks starring Dame Gladys Cooper who was also the play's producer. While in rehearsal Maugham rewrote Act 3 using an innovative flashback to portray events preceding the shooting with which Act 1 opens. Katharine Cornell starred in the Broadway production which opened (26 September 1927) at the Morosco Theatre and ran for 104 performances. This production reverted to the original script, scrapping the flashback in favor of the starring actor's recantation of its events. This audio book production includes both versions of Act 3.