Tipling Stage is back on track

January 4, 2017 · 0 Comments

Despite twice this season having been forced to abandon plans for the scheduled production due to casting difficulties, Shelburne’s community theatre company is forging ahead with its 2016-2017 season.
Patrick Hamilton’s Gaslight has been selected and cast is in rehearsal under the direction of Bev Nicholas for a two-weekend run opening Jan. 27.
The classic Victorian-style thriller was a sensation when it opened in London’s West End in 1938 and catapulted its creator to fame and fortune.
The Shelburne production features Jess Walker as Bella Manningham, a young, recently-married woman who is more than half convinced that, like her mother who died insane, she, too, is losing her mind. In fact, Jack Manningham, played by Tipling newcomer Michael Bedford, is slowly and deliberately driving his wife insane. He has almost succeeded when Peter King, as the former detective Rough, visits her while her husband is out of the house. Rough believes Manningham to be a maniacal criminal — a thief and the murderer of a former occupant of the house. Gradually, he restores Bella’s confidence in herself and, as the evidence unfolds, proves her husband’s true identity, and Bella achieves a few moments of sweet revenge for all the suffering inflicted on her.
Gaslight will be presented Jan. 27 and 28, as well as Feb 3 and 4 at 8 p.m., and Jan. 29 at 2 p.m. at Grace Tipling Hall, Shelburne.
Tickets at $15 are available from Shelburne Town Hall, Caravaggio’s IDA and Holmes Appliances and Music Shop, and online at www.tiplingstagecompany.com