The global premiere of spine-chilling ghost story, turned psychological thriller, Murder In The Dark, is coming to Oxford Playhouse and promises to have you on the edge of your seats until the final chilling twist.
“Murder In The Dark is fundamentally a ghost story, so really thrilling to watch in a theatre”
Starring famous actor Tom Chambers, best known for Holby City, Casualty, Waterloo Road, Father Brown and Strictly, he plays troubled singer Danny Sierra who ends up in an isolated holiday cottage in rural England with his dysfunctional family, as some mighty strange things start happening!
So how frightening is it? “Murder In The Dark is fundamentally a ghost story so really thrilling to watch in a theatre,” he explains.
“because it is a thriller, the cortisol and adrenaline are continually pumping through your body”
“But because it is a thriller, the cortisol and adrenaline are continually pumping through your body, and as your body doesn’t realise it’s not real, it’s quite full on.”
Tom’s last piece of theatre was West End hit Dial M for Murder by Alfred Hitchcock, so surely he’s used to thrillers by now? “Yes, but this is much more psychological and scary although I can’t give anything away. No plot spoilers here!”
“But Murder In The Dark has got wit, humour, pathos and is really funny in places, with lots of twists and turns,” he promises.
Currently half way through rehearsals with fellow cast members Susie Blake (Victoria Wood’s As Seen on TV, Rebecca Charles (The Dresser), Jonny Green (It’s a Sin), Owen Oakeshott (Witness for the Prosecution) and Laura White (Doctors), Tom says that working on new material is exhilarating, but slightly daunting at the same time.
“It is a huge challenge and really nerve-wracking because it’s new material, so it’s really exciting and a bit terrifying at the same time.”
“And the script is really fast with lots of snappy dialogue, so you have you know everyone’s lines as well as your own, but things are really beginning to take shape and come together,” he says.
So much so that Tom woke up at 3am this morning with his lines racing through his mind and had to get up and visualise the play before he could go back to sleep.
“Yes, I’m either brave or stupid, but it’s really exciting and we can’t wait to see how our audiences react.”
Penned by acclaimed writer Torben Betts, produced by the award-winning Original Theatre and directed by Philip Franks, there is already a big buzz around Murder In The Dark.
Is that a pressure then for Tom? “I think word-of-mouth is more important than a known name. If people like it and tell everyone about it, that counts more,” he says.
“And because we are all in it together with the audience, it’s really unifying, especially with the staging, sound effects and lighting. I just can’t wait to watch the audience unanimously reacting together.
MURDER IN THE DARK runs at Oxford Playhouse from Mon 25 – Sat 30 September. Book here https://www.oxfordplayhouse.com/events/murder-in-the-dark
