private eye plays Archives - Off The Wall Plays

RALPH – A FUNNY FILM NOIR PLAY

Meet Ralph Spade, trying to make a living as a Private Eye in his cheap downtown office. When Sam Malone comes to Ralph, to investigate the disappearance of his girlfriend, Ralph takes the case. Ralph, the detective is a colourful character whose brain is a sharp as a knife, but has also been muddled by years of alcohol. When it turns out that the parrot is also dead in this tongue in cheek film noir play, things take a bizarre twist in this off the wall Monty Python meets Film Noir style comedy.

Performance History:

Franklin and Friends festival of one act plays – 2010
Pleasant Valley High School – 2015
Somersworth High School, NH, USA – 2020

Author: Dewan Demmer

Cast: Cast Two M

Genre: Film Noir + Comedy + Crime

Difficulty: 6/10 (Achieving the Film Noir Feel)

Suitable for: Suitable for all ages

Ages of Performers: Teen and Adult

Length: 20 minutes

Set: Simple – the crummy downtown office of a private eye with a untidy desk with drawers and a coat rack. There is a chair for a client to sit on and a telephone on the desk.