A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

House of Horrors

Full-Length Play, Comedy  /  6m, 6girl(s)

James Reach

Janice Cantrell and Chloe Clark, two ex-chorus girls just returned to the States, discover that Janice has inherited a mansion left to her by her uncle, Randolph. They soon learn that the house not only has a local reputation of being haunted, but is also inhabited by some very bizarre characters. This rapid-moving farce packs a laugh for every thrill, and a thrill a minute.

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    6m, 6girl(s)
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Farce, Mystery/Thriller
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Appropriate for all audiences

Details

Summary
This rapid-moving farce packs a laugh for every thrill, and a thrill a minute. Janice Cantrell and Chloe Clark are two ex-chorus girls. They have been travelling in Australia and have just returned to the States to learn that Janice has inherited the “Cantrell Mansion,” left to her by her uncle, Randolph Cantrell, the famous chemist who had been mysteriously drowned two years previously. The girls, arriving at the “Mansion” late one stormy Autumn night, find to their dismay that, instead of the fine country estate their lawyer had described it as being, it is really just an old house badly in need of repairs. But that’s not all. The house has the local reputation of being haunted by the ghost of Randolph Cantrell! And instead of being vacant, the house, as the girls speedily discover, is tenanted by some very amazing people. There is Guppy, a half-witted young man who is fond of playing dangerous games. There is Marya, a mysterious young woman who tells them an astounding story, Singh, a religious mystic from India, and Voriloff, a Russian adventurer. What do all these people want in the house? One thing is certain: the girls are determined to solve this mystery in one night of fast and hilarious action.
JANICE - A charming and attractive girl of 20. She is a young woman of intelligence, with a will of her own.
CHLOE - A pretty girl of 25 with an excellent sense of humor. Gets off her "wise-cracks" in an expressionless, "dead-pan" manner.
GUPPY - A half-witted young man of 20. Bizarre in appearance, with a great shock of unruly, flaming red hair (preferably a wig). Though grown, he has the mentality and instincts of a child.
MRS. SHUMP - A woman in her 40’s. Large and very capable-looking, she is not the kind of person you'd want as an enemy. 
MARYA - A young woman of 25. Very quick, nervous, and with a passionate temper.
DICK - A young man of 25. Clean-cut and athletic in appearance
SINGH - A tall dark Hindu of uncertain age. Wears a dark business suit and white turban. A person of apparent culture.
CANTRELL - A tall, slim man in his sixties. A very well-bred person, and distinguished in appearance.
HERBIE - A young man of 28. Slight and wiry in appearance, never loses his professional manner.
WANDA - A young woman of 22. Bubbly and attractive.
PANSY - A stout, good-natured colored woman of any age.
VORJLOFF - A sleek-looking man of 30. Well-dressed and seemingly untrustworthy.

  • Setting Living room of the Cantrell mansion. A day in late autumn.

Music

  • Musical Style N/A (Not a musical)
  • Vocal DemandsN/A (Not a musical)
  • Chorus Size N/A (Not a musical)

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: $110 per performance

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Authors

Author

James Reach

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