A Most Peculiar Thing

A Most Peculiar Thing is an evening of five fascinating plays from the 1940s, presented in the unique Grand Guignol style. Created in 19th Century Paris, the Guignol style led to the creation of over 1000 plays, some of which were adapted during the 20th Century by the English writer Frederick Whitney. Giving each adaptation its own sense of Englishness, Whitney made the shows more humorous and less gory while also adding a little extra sauce. The Queens Players proudly present four of Whitney’s best along with an original work, The Bloomsbury Butcher, Richard Mazda’s adaptation of Lui!, a French play from 1897.

Featuring suspense, eroticism and horror, the shows are:

To Hell With You
When respectable socialite Linda wakes, she finds herself transported to the first level of Hell. Beelzebub croons whilst a heavenly announcer comments on the beguiling turn of events. Can one’s thoughts and fantasies be considered morally inappropriate?

Coral Strand
John Hallam and Emily are shipwrecked and thrown into each other’s arms. During a lovers quarrel, John accidentally knocks Emily unconscious. After spying a tramp steamer on the horizon, he panics and hides Emily’s limp body in the bushes. When the seamen put ashore the 1st Mate, Mr. Smith, suspects that John is hiding something.

The Bloomsbury Butcher
In a working girl’s lonely garret in Bloomsbury, Violet and Madame ‘Boudoir’ discuss the string of grisly murders that have been making the King’s Cross area a dangerous place for women such as them. Business is understandably slow, but a knock at the door causes them to break off their conversation. “At least business is picking up,” says Madame ‘Boudoir’… but is it?

Nuit de Noces
When the grotesque Marquis enters into marriage with a bride provided by the local convent, he doesn’t expect his frisky partner to run away before consummating the union. The Marquis’ neighbor, Count Gervais de Polisson, is a handsome and dashing Samaritan who offers sanctuary and a glass of champagne to the runaway. After the Marquis arrives and challenges the Count to a duel, Antoine, the Count’s manservant, finds himself in a rather lucky situation.

Coals of Fire
A blind wife spends her rainy afternoons in the parlor, being read biblical passages by her young companion. Today however is different. In a subtle manner, the wife coerces her companion to confess to the affair she’s having with her employer’s husband. Through a veneer of politeness and unshakeable manners, the wife secretly plots her revenge.

A special Halloween performance is scheduled for Tuesday, October 31 at 8:00 PM. Tickets for this performance are half price for any patrons who arrive in costume. Also, this performance is followed by a free party.

A 3:00 PM matinee is arranged for Saturday, October 28.