The Real Inspector Hound by Tom Stoppard

Tom Stoppard’s play within a play hilariously parodies a typical country manor house murder mystery, with outrageous red herrings, unclear motives, sudden deaths, romantic intrigue and unexpected reveals of identity. Imagine Noises Off meets The Play That Goes Wrong written by Agatha Christie. Better still, think of Murder at Moorstones Manor by Ripping Yarns’ Michael Palin and Terry Jones with a healthy dash of Stoppard’s brilliant wordplay and explorations of identity. The Real Inspector Hound is a truly glorious send up of the theatre critic as a profession (he himself spent time as a theatre critic). Various aspects of the theatre critic are satirised: their pompous pretentiousness, their over-intellectual analyses as well as the tendency for some to abuse their influential power to impress up and coming actresses. "(One) of the funniest and most brilliant plays in the English language.” The Sunday Times “A comic masterpiece.” The Guardian