Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
The Mystery Play is a detective story, a ghost story, and a memory play: a theatrical blending of Wit and The Woman In Black. Though it is fully self-contained, The Mystery Play is also the second in a trilogy about Sister Vivian Salter, a flinty, fifty-ish Catholic nun, forced into the role of amateur sleuth. Each story in her trilogy was penned by a different playwright, and each was commissioned by Ship's Company Theatre in Parrsboro, Nova Scotia. In The Mystery Play, Salter recounts her late-stage struggles with her own beliefs, while also detailing her father's descent into Alzheimer's. George, in his seventies, is becoming prone to semi-violent outbursts, to speaking with phantoms in the middle of the night, and to eerie sleepwalking - all of which leave Salter exhausted, and questioning the existence of God's love. Then, into the adjoining suite next door moves a young schoolteacher, Jennifer Craig (twenties), and her newlywed husband, Peter (twenties). From Salter's vantage, this couple-next-door seems perfect, and very much in love... until they don't. By creeping attrition, Salter begins to fear for the safety of Jennifer Craig, beyond the adjoining wall. The nun comes to suspect that terrible spousal abuse is taking place next door, and, despite herself, she gets drawn, once more, into mystery. But this time, Salter must question her entire relationship with "mystery" - moving beyond empirical clues into "Mysteries of Faith" that imply the supernatural. For, buried in the architectural history of Salter's home, and beginning again to overtake the lives of everyone beneath its roof, is a reanimating ghost story... Ultimately, The Mystery Play becomes a supernatural chiller of rattling cupboards, overnight s'ances, and spectral possessions. Come the story's climax, it's discovered that George Salter's eroding memory also contains the memories of a previous life... making him the ultimate key to the solving of old ghosts. At the finale, then, Salter's father finds his moment of full, mindful deliverance, and Salter finds her new definition for "mystery" - one derived from the Mystery Plays of her dwindling faith - where the word can also mean a "miracle" beyond all logic.
Synopsis
The Mystery Play is a detective story, a ghost story, and a memory play: a theatrical blending of Wit and The Woman In Black. Though fully self-contained, The Mystery Play is also the Second in a trilogy about crime-solving Sister Vivian Salter, a flinty, fifty-ish Catholic nun forced into the role of amateur sleuth. Each story in her trilogy was penned by a different playwright and commissioned by Ship's Company Theatre in Parrsboro, Nova Scotia.
In The Mystery Play, Salter recounts her late-stage struggles with her own beliefs while also detailing her father George's descent into Alzheimer's. In his seventies, George is becoming prone to semi-violent outbursts, to speaking with phantoms in the middle of the night, and to eerie sleepwalking - all of which leave Salter exhausted and questioning the existence of God's love. Then, into the adjoining suite next door moves a young schoolteacher, Jennifer Craig, and her husband, Peter. This newlywed couple seems perfect, and very much in love ... until they don't. By creeping attrition, Salter begins to suspect that terrible spousal abuse is taking place next door, and, despite herself, she gets drawn into mystery once more. But this time it's a fearsome mystery that sneaks increasingly closer and closer to home.
The Mystery Play, a supernatural chiller of rattling cupboards, overnight s ances, and spectral possessions, reveals a new definition of "mystery" - one derived from the Mystery Plays of sister Salter's dwindling faith - in which the word can also mean a miracle beyond all logic.