By Tom Stoppard
What is “The Real Inspector Hound?”
“Moon and Birdboot, two drama critics, arrive to watch the performance of a new detective play, a parody of the conventional stage thriller. However the private lives of the critics become inextricably mixed with those of the play’s characters until Moon is shot dead and the real Inspector Hound proves to be…?”
Character Breakdown:
(Ages flexible)
- Moon – A second-string theatre critic, insecure and resentful, obsessed with status and being overlooked.
- Birdboot – A self-important theatre critic with a wandering eye and inflated sense of charm.
- Mrs. Drudge – The maid; delivers exposition in an exaggerated murder-mystery style.
- Simon Gascoyne – A mysterious young man connected to multiple women in the household.
- Felicity Cunningham – Young, romantic, and emotional; formerly involved with Simon.
- Cynthia Muldoon – Glamorous widow of the missing Lord Muldoon.
- Major Magnus Muldoon – Cynthia’s wheelchair-using brother-in-law; imposing and suspicious.
- Inspector Hound – The detective figure, arriving to solve the case with classic mystery flair.