School Plays
Murder Included
Synopsis:
The family of the Earl of Kilmany is in dire financial straits. The head of the family, Sir Abel Lindsay, the 12th Earl, is a gentleman of the noblest birth, but without any interest in the banalities of everyday life. He does not want to get his hands dirty with financial matters. After all, wealth has been taken for granted in his family for centuries and money is there to be spent.
His children, Hamlet and Ophelia, have taken after him. They are amiable and very charming, but they too lack any sense of responsibility. Both aspire to a stage career and are convinced that the audience will soon be at their feet, once they perform on the stages of the world.
So, their mother Abigail, a shrewd business woman and Shakespeare lover with aspirations as an opera singer, has to concoct an idea to keep the family ship financially afloat and the lovely Manor House in the family.
She suggests drastic measures and so the Kilmanys end up renting out their family home on weekends to a drama group that offers thrilling two-day mystery events with fine cuisine – murder included.
On the very first weekend the house is fully booked and the evening is well underway in style with a delicious meal and a great first murder.
But the second murder is definitely not in the script, because the victim is none other than the Earl himself. What has gone wrong? Panic breaks out and the guests only calm down again when one of the guests, a real policeman, arrests the murderer. But is the arrested person really the perpetrator? The sinister case is far frombeing solved.
‘Murder Included’ is a play with clever twists and turns and lots of hilarious moments. There are some unforgettable characters on stage.
Shakespeare fans will also get their money’s worth, as there are many quotes from the Bard hidden in the text. How many do you recognise?