The Real Inspector Hound Programme 2021

The

The

ReaL Inspector Hound

By Tom Stoppard

14 & 15 June 2021

by arrangement with Concord Theatricals Ltd. on behalf of Samuel French Ltd.

Director’s Note I won’t comment on what a year it has been. Oh – curses – I’ve done it now.

Well, it has been a year, hasn’t it? As life, hopefully, begins to return to some sort of normality, what we could all do with is a good laugh. We hope to provide you with that tonight. Tom Stoppard’s surreal comedy has, to be honest, confused us all for many weeks. Just when you think you are beginning to grasp what is going on, something else occurs to you or contradicts your original thought, throwing it all up in the air again. There is a reason classics become classics, of course, and we’ve had a lot of fun with it. We very much hope you do too.

My thanks to the Headmaster, the SMT, Helen Purchase (Head of Performing Arts) and Stacey Carty (Head of Drama) for allowing us to stage this fabulous play and for granting us the time and space in which to do so. Thank you to Chris and Matt, our redoubtable technical wizards, who always give a wry smile and say, ‘Yes!’. Thanks to Judy for her friendship, support and patience and her detailed work on the costumes and set. Thanks to the Churcher’s staff and site team for supporting the project in a whole host of ways – from cleaning and preparing the A Hall, loaning props, to gratefully received words of encouragement.

Finally, and most significantly, thanks to the cast. Thanks to my staff colleagues, Ian and Matthew for getting involved and, in the case of Matthew, quite literally saving the show! And huge thanks to my student colleagues who have, through thick and thin, been keen to get this play on stage and willing to work hard to put it there. It has been a pleasure to work with them from start to finish and I shall miss them all when they have moved on to pastures new. They have done themselves and their school proud and, as their time at Churcher’s draws to a close, what more could one ask?

A note on the play Two critics go to see a play. Birdboot is a good critic and is the first port of call for the newspaper for which he regularly reviews. Although he is married to Myrtle, Birdboot has an eye for young actresses who might be keen to join him for an after-show drink in order to secure a good review.

Moon is, as a critic, less successful. In fact, for his newspaper, he is the stand-in for another critic, Higgs. On the occasions when neither Higgs nor Moon are available, Puckeridge (‘the third string’) stands-in for the stand-in.

Tonight, Moon (Higgs is unavailable!) and Birdboot are watching a ‘whodunnit’ sort of a play called ‘The Real Inspector Hound’. A classic of the murder-mystery genre with echoes of ‘The Mousetrap’ and Sherlock Holmes, the performance proceeds as one might expect - until the phone rings for just a bit too long…….

Tom Stoppard’s classic comedy was given its first performance at the Criterion Theatre in London on 17th June 1968, almost fifty-three years ago to the day. In that performance, Moon was played by Richard Briers and Birdboot by Ronnie Barker.

Cast Mrs Drudge (the help)........................................................... Bella Cox Simon Gascoyne (a cad) ....................................................... James Arnold Felicity Cunningham (young and ambitious) ................... Kaitlin Shaw Lady Cynthia Muldoon (a beautiful widow) ..................... Sophie Porteous Major Magnus Muldoon (a wheelchair-bound retired Major) ................................... Ben Rowley Inspector Hound (an Inspector).......................................... Matthew Kelly Moon (a second-rank theatre critic)................................... John Lofthouse Birdboot (a better theatre critic)......................................... Ben Mackay Radio announcer................................................................... Ian Crossman

Production Team Director : John Lofthouse Producer : Chris Pellett Sound & lighting : Matt Currie, Chris Pellett & Rory Hodges Set : Matt Currie, Chris Pellett, Matt Bridgwater & Joe Chads Costumes & Props : Judy Stones Poster & programme : Marcus Hadlow Front of House : Vanessa Johnson & Suzy Herrington

Thanks to…..

Helen Purchase, Stacey Carty, Ruth Northey, Suzanne Hall, Joe James, Rev. Dr. Philip Cree & Freddy Wickham for their patience, support and willingness to move rehearsals.

Suzanne Hall & Mary Dawson of West Meon Theatre Group for the loan of costumes.

Sasha Gibbins, Claire Tomalin, Thea Dannatt, Rick West & Judy Stones for the loan of props.

Hamish of History in the Making for the revolver.

The school nurses.

Vanessa Johnson for keeping us Covid safe in performance.

Amanda, Liz & Marcus in the Marketing/Publishing Office.

Alex Hind for all her work on our behalf on Amazon & eBay. Paul Harris, Angie, Glenna and the site team.

By Tom Stoppard