Following the easing of social distancing measures in South Australia, State Theatre Company is pleased to be returning to the stage with their reimagined production of Patrick Hamilton’s classic thriller Gaslight in the newly refurbished Her Majesty’s Theatre from 4 September 2020.
Bella Manningham is on edge. She’s hearing footsteps in the night, pictures are moving by themselves and the gaslights in the drawing room dim without even a touch. Her husband is constantly disappearing. He tells her she may be mad and she starts to believe him… As her grip on reality begins to slip, she finds herself in the middle of a mystery most foul.
A mind-bending Victorian thriller, Patrick Hamilton’s Gaslight is the stuff of legend. Written in 1938 and spawning the 1944 film starring Ingrid Bergman and Charles Boyer, director Catherine Fitzgerald brings this classic creepshow storming into 2020 in a production that sees it become more vital than ever. Gaslight will feature a beloved SA-cast including Eileen Darley, Ellen Freeman, Ksenja Logos, Nathan O’Keefe and Katherine Sortini.
“Who could have ever forseen that the title of a crime thriller from the 1930s would become a buzzword in our conversations about gender politics and our relationships today?” said Artistic Director, Mitchell Butel. “I can’t wait to see how Catherine flips this classic psychodrama on its head with a new twist that still honours the play’s original power and shock.”
Patrick Hamilton was an English playwright and novelist, notable for his capture of atmosphere and the Cockney dialect traditionally associated with the East End of London. He published his first novel, Craven House, in 1926 and within a few years had established a wide readership for himself.
Despite personal setbacks and an increasing problem with drink, he was still able to write some of his best work. His plays include the thrillers Rope (1929) – on which Alfred Hitchcock’s film Rope was based – and Gaslight (1938), also successfully adapted for screen in the same year. There was also an historical drama, The Duke in Darkness (1943).
Among his novels are The Midnight Bell (1929), The Siege Of Pleasure (1932), The Plains Of Cement (1934), a trilogy entitled Twenty Thousand Streets Under The Sky (1935), Hangover Square (1941) and The Slaves Of Solitude (1947). The Gorse Trilogy is made up of The West Pier, Mr Stimpson And Mr Gorse and Unknown Assailant – which were first published during the 1950s. He died in 1962.
“Patrick Hamilton’s 1938 psychological thriller, Gaslight, is the stuff of suspense dramas.” – Canberra Times
Director: Catherine Fitzgerald Featuring: Eileen Darley, Ellen Freeman, Ksenja Logos, Nathan O’Keefe, Katherine Sortini Set & Costume Designer: Ailsa Paterson Lighting Designer: Nic Mollison Sound Designer: Andrew Howard
Gaslight
Her Majesty’s Theatre, 58 Grote Street, Ade;aide
Season: 4 – 19 September 2020
Information and Bookings: www.statetheatrecompany.com.au
Image: Ksenja Logos stars in Gaslight – courtesy of State Theatre Company South Australia
Note: To accommodate audiences in an appropriately and comfortably distanced way, STCSA will be relocating the production from the Dunstan Playhouse to Her Majesty’s Theatre on Grote Street, Adelaide. The decision to relocate has been made due to the federal and state governments’ public health advice in dealing with the risk of spreading novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and the recent State Government release of the Roadmap for Easing COVID-19 Restrictions. More information can be found at covid-19.sa.gov.au.
All audience members who currently hold tickets for Gaslight (purchased prior to 17 July 2020) will be automatically re-seated in Her Majesty’s Theatre according to social distancing guidelines, with comparable seats allocated where possible. Tickets will be issued to all patrons by 6 August 2020.