Audiences at London’s Etcetera Theatre can wrap their minds around a different murder mystery in March, when Aidan Valentine stars in Stanley Young is Staging a Reconstruction of a Murder. Time to book your tickets!
The new one-man show runs at the Camden venue from 17 to 22 March 2020.
Stanley Young has been accused of murder. The perfect murder. This, of course, he denies. However, the cretins at the Crown Prosecution Service have asked Stanley to stage a reconstruction of the fateful day. Stanley has agreed, albeit against the wishes of his solicitor. He will carry out the reconstruction to demonstrate his intellectual superiority over those investigating the crime, and to prove his innocence – naturally. The question for you is – did he do it?
Stanley Young is Staging a Reconstruction of a Murder is a murder mystery, an interrogation, a puzzle and a psychological study. Stanley plays a game with the other characters and the audience, leaving everyone guessing about his innocence or guilt. The play is aimed squarely at theatregoers aged 16 years and older, as it contains strong adult themes and strong language.
The production is the latest to bring the thrill of attempting to get to the bottom of the crime to the London stage. In doing so, it joins a canon that includes record-breaking show The Mousetrap, Sleuth, Rehearsal for Murder and Witness for the Prosecution.
Stanley Young is Staging a Reconstruction of a Murder is written by Gavin Milnthorpe. It is a stage adaptation of his own novel Stanley Young is Planning a Murder in a Very Precise and Intricate Manner, which has been described as “funny and unexpected”, “intricate and entertaining” and a “page-turning intricate read”. Milnthorpe’s other books include children’s novels Second Hand Scott and Charlie Farley Pumpkin-Bum: And The Case of the Disappearing Twin.
Performer Valentine returns to the Etcetera Theatre, where he previously appeared in his own play A Calling in 2019. Other credits include Gangsta Granny (tour), Twelve (Waterloo East Theatre) and Lazarus Theatre Company’s The Bacchae at The Blue Elephant Theatre.