A small ensemble of Vashon High School theater students will bring the humor of playwright Tom Stoppard’s “The Real Inspector Hound” to the VHS stage for four performances over two weekends.
The play is a spoof of a British murder mystery, specifically Agatha Christie’s classic whoduunit “The Mousetrap.” The title of Stoppard’s play refers directly to the ending of Christie’s play with its secret twist ending.
The story begins with a dead body, of course, in the drawing room of an isolated country estate. A stranger appears, followed by police inspector Hound to solve the case. It’s all very mysterious, especially since no one has yet discovered the body.
According to director Stephen Floyd, there’s a second layer to this “delightful serving of theatrical cake.” Two very British theater critics are watching the drama unfold and commenting on the performance of the players. Through a series of complications, the critics are drawn out of their seats in the audience and into this play within the play.
“Throw in a love triangle or two, a crazy card game called pontoon bridge, a couple of gunshots, five doors and a generous helping of ridiculous comedy, and it all adds up to a farcical murder mystery,” Floyd said.
Written shortly after Stoppard’s 1966 hit “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead,” the playwright’s signature wit permeates the play. Stoppard has won numerous awards in England for his plays, four Tony Awards for Best Play and an Oscar for his screenplay “Shakespeare in Love.”
“The Real Inspector Hound” runs about 70 minutes long and will be performed without an intermission. Representatives from the freshman, sophomore, junior and senior classes will appear both on stage and behind the scene, working as stage hands and technicians for the show.
Floyd added that the play is clever, ingenious and full of surprises, while also presenting some good challenges to the small cast of eight student actors plus two important cameo roles.
“The characters speak in a variety of English accents,” Floyd said, “and for many of the actors, this is their first attempt at speaking British dialects. Much of the dialogue is written in complex sentences that are difficult to learn and to speak intelligibly. The blending of two different performance styles, farce and mystery, is a formidable task. I am proud of what the students have learned and accomplished in working on this play. We are eager to share this delightfully entertaining show with the island audience.”
Shows will be at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 30, Saturday, Jan. 31 and Friday, Feb. 6. There will be one matinee at 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 8. All shows will be held at the Vashon High School theater. There will be no show on Saturday, Feb. 7, due to the spelling bee. Tickets are $5 and are available the VHS office, Vashon Bookshop and the door. Snacks and beverages will be available in the lobby after the show. All donations for the treats will go to the school’s Thespian Scholarship Fund.
