How about The Mousetrap, provided you don't give the game away?
But if you want average 'man in the street' readership who know a character, you're basically stuck with Lloyd Webber musicals, Shakespeare and anyhting that's been remade as a film and not mutilated in so doing (?The History Boys, Chicago, West Side Story). Or use historically set plays where the lead is recognisable from historical knowledge, or plays based on otehr literature (eg Oliver).
If you're aiming at the well-read (ie not me), then there's probably a lot of other authors you could go for (eg Chekov, Priestly). And they are less likely to admit to ignorance even if you pick something more obscure!!!
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But if you want average 'man in the street' readership who know a character, you're basically stuck with Lloyd Webber musicals, Shakespeare and anyhting that's been remade as a film and not mutilated in so doing (?The History Boys, Chicago, West Side Story). Or use historically set plays where the lead is recognisable from historical knowledge, or plays based on otehr literature (eg Oliver).
If you're aiming at the well-read (ie not me), then there's probably a lot of other authors you could go for (eg Chekov, Priestly). And they are less likely to admit to ignorance even if you pick something more obscure!!!