The Real Inspector Hound

by Tom Stoppard. Directed by Rob Ellis.

Wednesday 17 – Saturday 20 January and
Tuesday 23 – Saturday 27 January at 7.30pm.
Matinées on Saturdays 20 and 27 January at 3pm.

At the Tower Theatre, Stoke Newington

Buy Tickets :
Wednesday 17 January at 7.30pm
Thursday 18 January at 7.30pm
Friday 19 January at 7.30pm
Saturday 20 January at 3pm
Saturday 20 January at 7.30pm
Tuesday 23 January at 7.30pm
Wednesday 24 January at 7.30pm
Thursday 25 January at 7.30pm
Friday 26 January at 7.30pm
Saturday 27 January at 3pm
Saturday 27 January at 7.30pm

“A treacherous fog has surrounded Muldoon Manor, radio reports of a madman on the loose, and there’s a body on the carpet. Inside the manor Felicity loves Simon, Simon loves Cynthia, and Cynthia’s still grieving after her husband went missing ten years ago. Does Major Magnus really need his wheelchair, will Mrs Drudge ever finish serving the coffee, and that mysterious stranger that just turned up, is that the REAL Inspector Hound?”

Watching all of this unfold are Moon and Birdboot, two theatre critics in the front row. What starts as a usual night for them suddenly becomes very unusual, as the story unfolds, events onstage and offstage start to intertwine, and the walls of reality start to collapse, with the critics finding themselves very much part of the story.

The Real Inspector Hound is classic Tom Stoppard. Presented as a “play with a play,” this meta-theatrical absurdist comedy blends the lines between fiction and realism, whilst casually smashing the fourth wall. This play is a pastiche of classic whodunnits (particularly The Mousetrap), as much it is a commentary on arts criticism, and the sometimes diabolical state of the arts industry.

David Miller is delighted to be back onstage with Tower Theatre Company for the first time since Arcadia and Wolf Hall in 2018, the latter touring to Lincoln’s Inn and the Minack Theatre in Cornwall. He can also be heard on Tower’s two immersive audio walks, Strange Meeting and Remembrance, which are available to listen to in Abney Park Cemetery, via the Echoes app.

Matthew Vickers has been an acting member of the Tower Theatre for some years now having performed in numerous plays including Coyote on a Fence, Clybourne Park, An Enemy of the People, Arcadia, Sweat and more recently PMQ and Death and the Maiden. He is looking forward to playing Birdboot in what promises to be a very entertaining production.

Sheila Burbidge is a very long-time Tower member, doing most jobs, sometimes acting and directing. Now she looks after wardrobe and is a Trustee. She is really thrilled to be a part of this production, and looking forward to a lot of fun.

Micky Gibbons lives in North-East London with his husband Simon and a family of foxes who live in their back garden. He works as a doctor in public health. His previous acting credits include A Doll’s House at the Tower and The Real Inspector Hound with the KDC. He was also a performer and writer on a number of Edinburgh comedy shows including Stout, Pale and Bitter and Xaablaargh the Conqueror’s Guide to Humons. He is currently working on a podcast series with the comedy collective ‘Forced Rhubarb’.

Emily Hassan has always been a passionate theatregoer and discovered acting while studying English at university. Favourite roles include Medea, Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Varya in The Cherry Orchard. She is also a member of the National Youth Theatre, with whom she volunteers. Since graduating, she appeared onstage in Amadeus with SEDOS and is very much looking forward to her first Tower show. By day, Emily is studying for her postgraduate diploma in law in anticipation of becoming a solicitor.

Maeve Curry has previously performed as lead singer with Riverdance (Gaiety Theatre, Dublin) and through her association with this show, she sang for then First Lady, Michelle Obama during her state visit to Ireland. From there Maeve moved to London to train at the Royal Academy of Music (Musical Theatre). Her credits include Snow White in Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs (Cork Opera House), Baroness Elberfeld in The Sound of Music (Cork Opera House), Miss Krumholztz in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (City of London Festival) and The Whore/Claire in the UK Premiere of Amour, for which she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in the broadwayworld.com UK Awards. Since then, she has appeared at the Old Vic Theatre (OV200), in London’s West End (A Christmas Carol, Lyceum Theatre), and most recently, she performed the role of Gladys Bumps in Tower’s production of Pal Joey.

Daniel Watson‘s most recent production for the Tower was Richard III in which he played Clarence and the Mayor. His other credits as an actor include Brian in Dead Funny, Sir Hugh Evans in The Merry Wives of Windsor, Montague in Romeo and Juliet, Lord Arlington in Nell Gwynn, Uriah Heep in David Copperfield, Teddy in The Homecoming, Grumio in The Taming of The Shrew, Ross in Macbeth, Pseudolus in A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, Ramble in Lock Up Your Daughters, Fred in Fallen Angels, Canon Throbbing in Habeas Corpus and Oliver in As You Like It. Other favourite productions in which he has appeared include Lady Windermere’s Fan, Hard Times, Pygmalion and Dancing at Lughnasa.

Darren Chancey studied at the City Literary Institute for 18 months, where he received a Level 2 Foundation in Drama and then the Level 3 Diploma in Acting, graduating in June 2023. His first show after graduating was with the Putney Theatre Company in Apologia as Peter. This is Darren’s debut at the Tower.

Rob Ellis is a theatre producer and director, originally from Yorkshire, who joined the Tower in 2016. For the Tower he has directed Clybourne Park, The 39 Steps and The Merry Wives Of Windsor, which toured to Paris. He is also Chair of the Board of Trustees for the organisation. For his day job, Rob is the Executive Director at Relish Theatre, a sustainable new-writing production company that platforms LGBTQ+ artists and stories. He was previously Producer at the Actors’ Church in Covent Garden.