NIGHT MUST FALL

A Secluded British Cottage…A Dead Body…A Stranger at the Door

At: The Swift Creek Mill Theatre, 17401 U.S. Route One, Chesterfield, VA 23834

Performances: September 20 – October 11, 2025

Ticket Prices: $49-54. Ask about discounts for students, seniors, and veterans.

Info: (804) 748-5203 or https://www.swiftcreekmill.com

A Theater Review by Julinda D. Lewis

Emlyn Williams’ Night Must Fall is a 1935-era psychological thriller – considered by some to be one of the first to define this genre. What makes Night Must Fall stand out among other classics murder mysteries is its disturbing series of twists and turns that ultimately reveals the inner workings of truly a psychotic individual, the protagonist, Dan, as well as the people who fall under his spell. Things – and people – are not what they seem to be…

The story is set in the isolated country home of Mrs. Bramson (Jacqueline Jones). A woman of means, we are never told precisely where here supposed fortune came from, but we do know that she is spoiled and entitled, ruling over her small estate from the confines of her wheelchair. She keeps piles of cash in a safe in her home.

Mrs. Bramson is attended by her niece, the apparently oppressed Olivia Grayne (Sara Dabney Tisdale, a visiting nurse, Nurse Libby (Maggie Jordan), an outspoken, seasoned cook, Mrs. Terrence (Kathy Parker) who provides most of the play’s much needed humor, and a timid young maid, Dora Parkoe (Madison Cox) whose unplanned pregnancy sets the whole drama in motion.

Supporting characters also include Inspector Belsize (Adam Mincks) who provides the voice of reason in the midst of chaos, and Hubert Laurie (Michael Blackwood), Olivia’s safe but boring suitor whose proposals of marriage she repeatedly rejects.

And then there is Dan (Matt Hackman), an oddly charismatic but apparently undisciplined young man who charmed first Dora and then, in quick succession, wins over the grumpy and manipulative Mrs. Bramson and her wary niece Olivia. One thing I still find puzzling is how Dan wormed his way into the good graces of Mrs. Bramson. Is flattery all it takes to get a spoiled, entitled elderly hypochondriac to accept you into her home? Night Must Fall has been popular enough since 1935 to have been adapted into at least three filmed versions (1937, 1954, and 1964), but accepting Dan requires more of a suspension of belief than I am willing to give up. Nevertheless…here we are.

Dora is pregnant. She names Dan as the father. Mrs. Bramson summons Dan to her home with the intention of persuading him to immediately marry Dora. But then we learn of a woman who turned up missing from a nearby hotel – the same place where Dan was working. It isn’t long before “missing” becomes “murdered” and the headless body is soon found in a rubbish bin on the edges of Mrs. Bramson’s property. Suspecting Dan may be involved, Olivia, Hubert, and the servants search through Dan’s belongings, coming up empty handed – except for a hatbox that is sealed shut, and whose contents are never revealed.

What follows the search is a cat and mouse game of manipulation, mind control, and misdirection. The final scene, in which Dan comes completely unraveled, leaves the audience shaken and many questions unanswered. What did the main characters know and when did they know it? What was Olivia’s role in what happened to her aunt? How is it that everyone left Mrs. Bramson alone on that fateful night? What did Mrs. Terrence and Dora know? Why did they come back? What was the significance of that final embrace? And was Dan’s maniacal laugh for show or a genuine manifestation of madness?

There is a lot to unpack in this show, and one can sit back and enjoy the ride or get lost in the labyrinth – or both. Jacqueline Jones was the perfect choice to play Mrs. Bramson. I immediately thought of her when I first heard the title and learned a little bit about the play. She is one of the few people who can make us feel compassion for this otherwise unlikeable and worrisome character.

Sara Dabney Tisdale caught me off guard with her character’s turn, and Kathy Parker’s droll humor kept things from descending too deep into the pits of hell where morality and mental stability seemed to have lost all touch with reality.

Matt Hackman’s turn as Dan was the most profoundly disturbing of all. Granted, he was under suspicion from the beginning, but he exposed new levels of depravity. Hackman’s portrayal of Dan reminds me of one of my favorite lines of all time, when I heard the late comedian Richard Pryor say, “Who are you gonna believe, me or your lying eyes?” After seeing Night Must Fall, you may question everyone and everything for a few days or weeks…

Oh, just one more thought: the title. Night Must Fall implies a sense of the inevitable, a sense of impending doom. It foreshadows an ominous warning of evil and darkness and reveals the psychology of fear and the night. And rightfully so. For all you thrill-seekers: a secluded British cottage; a dead body in the woods; a strange visitor at the door…and night must soon fall.

———-

Julinda D. Lewis is a dancer, teacher, and writer who was born in Brooklyn, NY and now lives in Eastern Henrico County. When not writing about theater, she teaches dance history at VCU and gentle impact dance fitness classes to seasoned movers like herself and occasionally performs. Julinda was recently awarded the Dean’s Distinguished Adjunct Faculty Award 2023-24 Academic Year by VCU School of the Arts and the 2025 Pioneer Award in Dance Ministry by Transformation International Worship Ministries, Newport News, VA.

———-

NIGHT MUST FALL

By Emlyn Williams

Directed by John Moon

CAST

Mrs. Bramson – Jacqueline Jones

Olivia Grayne – Sara Dabney Tisdale

Nurse Libby – Maggie Jordan

Hubert Laurie – Michael Blackwood

Mrs. Terrence – Kathy Parker

Dora Parkoe – Madison Cox

Inspector Belsize – Adam Mincks

Dan – Matt Hackman

CREATIVE TEAM

Directed by John Moon

Scenic Design by Frank Foster

Lighting Design by Joe Doran

Costume Design by Maura Lynch Cravey

PRODUCTION STAFF

Producing Artistic Director – Tom With

Technical Director – Paul Howle

Scenic Carpenter – Peter Prout

Stage Manager – Sandy Lambert

Assistant Stage Manager/Props – Tom Width

Scenic Carpenter – Peter Prout

Light/Sound Board Operator – Brent Deekens

Set Crew – Peter Prout, Brent Deekens, Hunter Keck

Lighting Crew – Brent Deekens

Photographer – Photographer – Daryll Morgan

Costume Assistant – Alia Radabaugh

Time and Place:

The play takes place in the sitting room of Forest Corner, Mrs. Bramson’s bungalow in Essex, in 1935.

Run Time:

About 2.5 hours with 1 15-minute intermission

Tickets:

Regular $44-49. Discounts for Seniors, Military & Veterans

Photographer: Darryl Morgan