A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

Jack the Ripper: Monster of Whitechapel

Full-Length Play, Comedy  /  8w, 6m

Joe Dickinson

A comical but scary treatment of the serial killer who terrorized London in the 1800's. Many of the characters and events are taken right from history, but others are pure comic invention.

Jack the Ripper: Monster of Whitechapel

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    8w, 6m
  • Duration
    Duration
    90 minutes
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Farce, Mystery/Thriller, Period
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult, Senior

Details

Summary
A comical but scary treatment of the serial killer who terrorized London in the 1800's. Many of the characters and events are taken right from history, but others are pure comic invention, such as Pegeen Macdougal, a practitioner of white magic, and her "familiar," Hogarth, who speaks only in cookbook terms.
All of the roles are amusingly drawn, from the frustrated physician, Dr. Forbes Winslow, already henpecked by his fiance, suffragette Ernestine Pankhurst, to manservant Phillip Poole, who is bound and determined to solve the murders in the style of his hero, Sherlock Holmes. There are several murders, but these are given a wickedly humorous touch by the victims themselves!

The story, briefly: Jack's reign of terror has begun, and Sir Charles Warren, a totally inept British Lord, has been appointed Commissioner of Police to apprehend him. The author has selected a theory (which some actually believed at the time) that the murders had an occult connection. Jack, it seems, practices black magic, which requires murderous sacrifices to assure him additional years of life. Four women are murdered, and the play revolves around the attempts to save the fifth Angela Ellison, a reformed girl of the streets, who is the last required to complete Jack's evil ritual.
Jack's identity is not revealed until the end, and the author has provided three alternate endings, each with a different character exposed as Jack. So, should the director have a fiendish streak, the ending could be selected by pulling straws to keep everyone - including the cast - guessing until the final scene.

History
Jack the Ripper - Monster of Whitechapel was first performed on March 28, 1986, at the Pocket Sandwich Theatre in Dallas, Texas and was directed by Rodney Dobbs.

MRS. DOBBS - A cleaning woman
OFFICER O'CONNELL
PHILLIP POOLE - Manservant to Dr. Winslow
ERNESTINE PANKHURST - A suffragette
WILLIAM - Duke of Clarence
FORBES WINSLOW - A physician
SIR CHARLES WARREN - Commissioner of police
ANGELA ELLISON - A reformed girl of the streets
PEGEEN LASZLOW MACDOUGAL - Practisioner of white magic
HOGARTH - Her familiar
ANNE CHAPMAN - One of Jack's victims
KATE EDDOWS - Another of Jack's victims
ANNE KELLY - Yet another of Jack's victims

ANNE CHAPMAN, KATE EDDOWS, and ANNE KELLY can all be played by the same actress.

  • Time Period 19th Century
  • Setting London
  • Features Period Costumes
  • Duration 90 minutes
  • Cautions
    • Mild Adult Themes

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

Joe Dickinson

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