I’LL BE BACK BEFORE MIDNIGHT!

In a retrospective on Canadian theatre in the Toronto Globe & Mail, I’LL BE BACK BEFORE MIDNIGHT! was called “probably the most produced Canadian play ever.” It has had countless productions in Canada, the USA and Europe, placing the author among the top playwrights working in the mystery thriller genre today. The play is an exciting mixture of suspense and shocks, with just the right amount of comedy added. The author, Peter Colley, writes this about himself: “I have a certain sense of humour, a kind of tongue-in-cheek approach, if you like, that finds its way into my work. Comedy is very important. You have to walk a tightrope between suspense and comedy.” The story concerns a young woman, Jan, who is brought to a lonely farmhouse by her husband Greg to recover from a nervous breakdown. But frightening things start to happen almost as soon as they arrive. Then Greg’s sister, Laura, with whom he seems to have an unnaturally close relationship, appears unexpectedly. There is also George, the rather strange old farmer who lives nearby, with his tales of murders and ghosts in the neighbourhood. And then there are the flickering lights, the mysterious heartbeats, the hand at the window, the blood on the floor, the corpse in the hallway . . . a nightmare, with twist after twist.