The award-winning Original Theatre has teamed up with Trafalgar Entertainment to produce Torben Betts’ thriller play, Murder in the Dark. 

The play, directed by Philip Franks and starring Tom Chambers, known for his role as Sam Strachan in Holby City, will tour the UK, opening at the Churchill Theatre in Bromley on the 7 September 2023. 

Said to tell the story of a car crash on New Year’s Eve bringing a famous but troubled singer and his extended family to an isolated cottage in rural England, the play delves into a sequence of inexplicable events before, suddenly, all the lights in the house go out. 

Mr Betts said: “I'm really thrilled to be working with Original Theatre again. This will be my fourth project with them, after their tours of Invincible, Caroline's Kitchen and the online play Apollo 13: The Dark Side of the Moon. 

“Their reputation continues to grow while their commitment to touring theatre around the country has not faded, despite the battering our industry has taken over the last few years. I am thrilled that I will be part of their next ghostly theatrical adventure.”

Known for his theatre work, Mr Chambers has previously been nominated for an Oliver award for his role as Jerry Travers in Top Hat and has previously worked with Mr Bett’s, starring in Original Theatre’s lockdown film Apollo 13: The Dark Side of the Moon. 

Mr Chambers said: “I’m really thrilled and excited to be a part of this brand new piece of theatre, keeping audiences on the edge of their seats.  It should be a great night out, if you can find your way out!”

Murder in the Dark will be directed by Philip Franks (The Mirror Crack’d, The Habit of Art, The Haunting of Alice Bowles, The Croft and A Cold Supper Behind Harrods) and designed by Adrian Linford, with lighting design by Olivier Award-winner Paul Pyant, original music and sound design by Max Pappenheim.

The play will visit the Salisbury Playhouse between October 2-7 with tickets on sale from May 12.