Summer 1860, an elegant country house, a young boy is found dead in an outside privy. All clues point towards the murderer being a member of the grieving household. Called to the scene is the most celebrated detective of his day, Jonathan Whicher from Scotland Yard. But this case challenges him in ways he's never been challenged before. Over twenty years later, still haunted by the case, Whicher visits the murderer. As they replay the past, they start to question the nature of truth, the desire for certainty and the possibility of redemption. This compelling stage adaptation of Kate Summerscale's gripping bestseller opened at The Watermill Theatre, Newbury, in May 2023. This ensemble piece provides rich opportunities for companies looking to intrigue their audiences with a fresh take on a dark Victorian mystery.
'A true crime classic turned into a tense drama... ingeniously plotted... Kate Summerscale's Victorian potboiler is deftly condensed in a production that brings out the misogyny and class snobbery of the era' Guardian'Taut and magnetic... Alexandra Wood's bold adaptation turns the book's structure on its head... electric' The Times'An utterly transporting piece of storytelling that will keep you gripped as it carefully carries you towards its conclusion' Broadway World'Powerful... a wonderfully concise retelling and reexamination of the facts... The story unfolds with pleasing clarity' WhatsOnStage'Alexandra Wood's dramatisation for the stage intuitively captures the atmosphere of Summerscale's book... keeps the audience on its toes, piecing together fragments of the case and steering toward a remarkable conclusion... exposes the deep-seated, class-ridden misogyny of the Victorian era' The Stage