Following the success of the critically acclaimed BBC television series, Ian Rankin’s much-loved detective Rebus is returning to the stage, coming to Aberdeen’s His Majesty’s Theatre with A Game Called Malice from September 16-21.
The stage production, by Ian Rankin and Simon Reade, will star Gray O’Brien in the title role, as well as Abigail Thaw (Stephanie Jeffries) and Billy Hartman (Jack Fleming). The play centres around a murder mystery game, but with rising suspicions.
Aberdeen Performing Arts Director of Programming, Ben Torrie, said: “Ian Rankin is a master of his craft, and his stories translate naturally to the stage. They will be brought to life brilliantly by Gray O’Brien, Abigail Thaw and Billy Hartman, all of whom are such exceptional and engaging performers so whether you are already a fan or are new to Detective John Rebus, this one is not to be missed.”
A splendid dinner party in an Edinburgh mansion concludes with a murder mystery game created by the hostess. A murder needs to be solved. But the guests have secrets of their own, threatened by the very game they are playing. And among them is Inspector John Rebus. True crime is his calling. Is he playing an alternative game, one to which only he knows the rules? There are suspects, clues and danger with every twist and turn - and a shocking discovery will send this game called ‘Malice' hurtling towards a gasp-inducing conclusion.
Ian Rankin is the multimillion-copy award-winning bestseller of over thirty novels worldwide and creator of John Rebus. His books have been translated into thirty-six languages and have been adapted for radio, the stage and the screen. His Rebus novels have dominated the detective fiction market with the recent BBC television series ensuring the detective’s legendary status.
Perhaps best known for his roles in Coronation Street, Peak Practice and Casualty, Gray O’Brien plays John Rebus. His theatre credits include Educating Rita (Perth Theatre), Catch Me If You Can, The Case of the Frightened Lady, The Sound of Music, Dead Simple (UK tour), Sleuth (Apollo Theatre), The Magistrate (Pitlochry Festival Theatre). Television credits include Coronation Street (as series regular Tony Gordon), Casualty (as series regular Richard McCaid), Peak Practice (as series regular Dr Tom Deneley), Shakespeare and Hathaway, The Loch, Titanic – Blood and Steel and Doctor Who – Voyage of the Damned. Film credits include The Wasting and The Daniel Connection.
Billy Hartman returns to the role of Jack Fleming, having created it for the stage in 2023. His other theatre credits include Gypsy (Savoy Theatre), The Confessions of Gordon Brown (Traverse Theatre and Scottish tour), The Little Match Girl (Orange Tree Theatre), Homework (Battersea Arts Centre), and Oliver! (Sadlers’ Wells). Television credits include Emmerdale (as series regular as Terry Woods), Dal Y Mellt, The Trick, Keeping Faith, Pobol Y Cwm, In Suspicious Circumstances, 99-1 and A Touch of Frost.
Perhaps best known for her role in Endeavour, Abigail Thaw plays Stephanie Jeffries. Her theatre credits include Anthropology, The Strange Death of John Doe (Hampstead Theatre), Julius Caesar (Sheffield Crucible), The Cutting of the Cloth (Southwark Playhouse), Juliet and her Romeo (Bristol Old Vic) and Cymbeline (Shakespeare’s Globe and BAM Harvey Theater, NYC). Her television credits include Endeavour (as series regular Dorothea Frazil), Miss Scarlet and the Duke, Sister Boniface and The Nevers. Film credits include The Penny Dropped and The Inbetweeners 2.
Tickets are on sale now from www.aberdeenperformingarts.com, phone (01224) 641122 or visit the box office at His Majesty’s Theatre or the Music Hall.