Opening Night written by Ngaio Marsh was published in 1951. Its name in the United states was Night at the Vulcan. It is the sixteenth book in Marsh's Inspector Roderick Alleyn series. I'm fondest of mysteries where the characters are complex and their interactions more interesting than just trying to guess whodunit. This thriller delivers a rich set of theater people and some interesting looks at the theater behind the scenes.
An actor is found dead in the actor's dressing room at the end of a play. It appears to be suicide by gas asphyxiation, but clues point to murder by someone in the company. About half the story builds up to the murder, and about half involves the investigation. I enjoyed the claustrophobic atmosphere of the theatre One of the actors rapes his wife, and the teenage protagonist deflects the sexual overtures of the night watchman at the theatre. All of this is described obliquely or ambiguously, but no intelligent viewer could miss it.
An actor is found dead in the actor's dressing room at the end of a play. It appears to be suicide by gas asphyxiation, but clues point to murder by someone in the company. About half the story builds up to the murder, and about half involves the investigation. I enjoyed the claustrophobic atmosphere of the theatre One of the actors rapes his wife, and the teenage protagonist deflects the sexual overtures of the night watchman at the theatre. All of this is described obliquely or ambiguously, but no intelligent viewer could miss it.
