Gaslight at the Irish Repertory Theater

The Irish Repertory Theater presents Gaslight, a dark, Victorian melodrama, by Patrick Hamilton, opens at the Irish Repertory Theater on 17 May 2007, following previews from 9 May and running through to 8 Jul 2007.

Gaslight: The attractive but menacing Jack Manningham is slowly driving his fragile, young wife insane by coldly accusing her of petty aberrations cleverly arranged by himself. Since Bella Manningham's mother died incarcerated and insane she is half convinced that she, too is losing her mind.

While her diabolical husband is out of the house a mysterious police inspector visits and insists that her husband is a maniacal criminal suspected of a murder committed fifteen years ago in the same house, and that he is preparing to dispose of her. The thrilling and melodramatic game of uncovering the necessary evidence before Manningham returns begins.

Directed by Charlotte Moore, Gaslight features Brian Murray, Laura Odeh, David Staller, Laoisa Sexton and Patricia O'Connell.

Set design by James Morgan, with costumes by Martha Hally, lighting by Brian Nason and sound by Zachary Williamson.

As a novelist Patrick Hamilton made his debut at the age of nineteen with the Dickensian Monday Morning (1925). Cravern House (1926), a story of the inmates of a boarding-house followed. It established his reputation on both sides of Atlantic. Hamilton's first theatrical success was Rope (1929), produced in the United States as Rope's End. In 1938, Gaslight gained a huge success and ran in the United States for almost three years (1942-44).