Night Must Fall

Synopsis -

When the imperious, embittered and self-centred Mrs. Bramson learns that her young maid Dora is pregnant, she summons the child's presumed father to her bungalow. The young man, Dan, is charming but mysterious. Could he be responsible for the recent murder and beheading of a local woman, and could Mrs. Bramson be his next victim? Skilfully, Dan insinuates himself into Mrs. Bramson's affections and attempts to seduce her skeptical niece, Olivia. Despite strong suspicions of Dan's diabolical intentions, Olivia finds herself attracted to, and fascinated by, the young man.

This play is not so much a who dunnit, as a study of the anatomy of a murder and its effect on both the innocent and guilty.  The dramatic tension is born from the audience waiting for the characters to realise the danger in their midst, and from how each character deals with the fear and fascination of murder. The story explores timeless themes of human weakness and concupiscence, as relevant today as when it was written nearly 90 years ago.  However, due to the cultural and practical peculiarities of the writing, the play and characters are to be set in that time.