Who was Jack the Ripper? For three months in 1888, death stalked the gloomy alleyways of a London slum. The murderer was never caught or identified. The play offers theories. It takes place in the home of Dr. Thaddeus Sargeant. Each person who comes to visit him is a suspect. “In traditional mysteries,” Tim Kelly said, “the audience is supposed to guess who. In this play to get the who, you have to establish the why.” Carefully constructing his plot, Kelly throws suspicion on each character, with the final revelation coming as a surprise.
CHARACTERS
4 M, 4 W
Morgan: Dr. Sargeant’s orderly-sly, an ex-felon
Mrs. Hiller: the housekeeper, and Morgan’s sister
Inspector Flanders: of the London police, investigating the Whitechapel murders
Dr. Sargeant: Physician
Ellen: Dr. Sargeant’s daughter
Stephen Barrows: Intern
Margaret Derry: Parlor maid
Lady Flora Chilton: Trustee of Dr. Sargeant’s clinic