‘The Suspicions of Mr Whicher’ – a Victorian whodunit – opening at The Watermill Theatre

The world premiere stage adaptation of Kate Summerscale’s vivid and gripping best-selling non-fiction thriller, ‘The Suspicions of Mr Whicher’ will run at The Watermill Theatre, near Newbury, from Friday 5 May until Saturday 10 June. The play is based on true events in 1860 rural Wiltshire. Tickets are available online here or via the Box office 01635 46044

Summer 1860, an elegant country house, a young boy is found dead in an outside privy. All clues point towards the murderer being a member of the grieving household. But which one?

Called to the scene is the most celebrated detective of his day, Jonathan Whicher from Scotland Yard. Faced with an inept local police force, a middle-class family ravaged by secrets, and a lack of evidence, will he be able to solve the case?

This original Victorian whodunit becomes a battle of wits between the professional detective and the only one who knows what really happened. In this fresh re-telling, fact and fiction bleed into each other, and the Truth becomes something to be fought over.

Adapted by Alexandra Wood and directed by Kate Budgen, The Suspicions of Mr Whicher will star Christopher Naylor (Dangerous Corner and Hard Times – The Watermill, The Woman in Black – West End) as ‘Jonathan Whicher’, Eleanor Wyld (Leopoldstadt – West End, The Merchant of Venice – The Globe) as ‘Constance’, Connie Walker (The Taxidermist’s Daughter – Chichester, Macbeth – Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch) as ‘Mrs Kent’, Jim Creighton (The Importance of Being Earnest, Journey’s End – The Watermill, Skylight – NT) as ‘Mr Kent’, Sam Liu (a recent RADA graduate, most recently seen in Ted Lasso for Apple TV) as William’, and Robyn Sinclair (The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe – West End and tour, Amélie – West End (Criterion Theatre) as ‘Gough’

‘The Suspicions of Mr Whicher’ will be directed by Kate Budgen, with design by Amy Jane Cook, with lighting design by Katy Morison, with projection design from Rachel Sampley, and with sound design and composition from Beth Duke. The stage management team are Emily Stedman (DSM), Natalie Toney (ASM) and Phoebe Butcher (ASM placement).