Overview
Synopsis
It is a foggy and foreboding day at Muldoon Manor. This charming, but isolated, English country house is populated by tortured and suspicious characters. A game of bridge results in raised temperatures and veiled threats; a mysterious man, possibly mad, shows up to charm the lady of the house and her young friend; and a dead body lies under the sofa, waiting to be discovered. All the while, a pair of pretentious critics comment on the action, munch chocolates, complain bitterly about their professional rivals, and ogle the attractive actresses. In The Real Inspector Hound, Tony and Academy award-winning playwright Tom Stoppard has crafted a witty, surreal, and compelling tale in which identity is as changeable as a moustache, or a pair of boots, and a hack production of a tired whodunnit can be the cover for a masterful revenge plot, trained on the professional members of the audience.
Show Information
- Book
- Tom Stoppard
- Category
- Play
- Age Guidance
- Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
- Number of Acts
- 1
- First Produced
- 1968
- Genres
- Comedy, Parody, Farce
- Settings
- Unit/Single Set
- Time & Place
- latter half of 20th century, a theatre / muldoon manor, essex, england
- Cast Size
- medium
- Licensor
- Samuel French
- Ideal For
- community theatre, regional / professional theatre, college / university theatre, high school theatre, one-act festival, Mostly Male Cast, Includes Adult, Mature Adult, Young Adult Characters, Medium Cast
Context
Plot
Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Spoken |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Spoken |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Spoken |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Spoken |
Songs
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
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Videos
Quizzes
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Themes, Symbols & Motifs
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Quote Analysis
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