Preview: Gaslight

Patrick Hamilton’s work is strange and addictive. Used to describe a form of emotional and psychological manipulation where someone makes another person doubt their own memory, perception or even sanity, the term “gaslighting” has become ubiquitous, yet few people are familiar with its origin. I want to educate and thrill the audience with this classic play.

Patrick Hamilton wrote the play in 1938, and although it is set in Victorian times, its depiction of psychological and emotional abuse still rings true. The lies and falsehoods that Jack Manningham spreads are unfortunately still recognisable, with many women suffering the same as Bella.

Hamilton was troubled by the rise of fascism in both Europe and Britain around this time, signified by Oswald Mosley’s blackshirts here. I would encourage audience members to consider that this play could be interpreted as a criticism of the dangerous stories of fascism, again unfortunately recognisable today, almost a century later.

The action takes place in 1890 in the Manninghams’ house in Pimlico. Bella Manningham (Charlotte Schofield) is a young woman who believes she is going insane, and her husband Jack (Jamie Bowman) isn’t offering her the support she needs. They have two housekeepers: the senior Elizabeth (Ingrid Miller) and the junior Nancy (Suki Rees), and the story begins to change as Inspector Rough (Nick Davidson), an eccentric retired police detective, arrives seemingly out of nowhere.

Working with actors and crew in the rehearsal room is extremely rewarding. It’s been particularly exciting watching the characters come to life as we navigate our way through the murky plot. 

The play is almost 100 years old and it has been a challenge working with some of its trappings. It is a serious depiction of the abuse women like Bella go through, but it is important to view it as a work from the 1930s and from the mind of Patrick Hamilton, who despite his lifelong support of Marxism, was not particularly socially radical when it came to his views on women. We had to work hard to discover the power and agency of Bella throughout the action. Hamilton wanted to show the best and the very worst of people.

My goal as director was to ensure that the rehearsal room was supportive and creative at all times, so that the actors could engage safely with the challenging world of Gaslight.

Tense. Psychological. Dramatic.