Ravenscroft at Corbin Theatre

Due to the success of Don Nigro's "Widdershins" another mystery of his, "Ravenscroft" has been chosen for this season. The first mystery by Don Nigro featuring Inspector Ruffing, "Ravenscroft" is a thinking person's Gothic thriller that is funnier than his others. It is more like a game of "Clue." There are ghosts on the staircase and skeletons in thecloset and much more than the Inspector bargains for."Ravenscroft," published in 1991, can be thought of as a modern send -up of the British murder-mystery genre. The play was made into a film, "The Manor," in 1999, featuring Peter O'Toole and Greta Sacchi.

Sandy McCabe directs. The cast includes Stan Starts, Ashley Davidson, Brooke Herbst, Diane Hodge, Tracy Horton, and Leah McLain.

It is described by the publisher: "On a snowy night, Inspector Ruffing is called to a remote house to investigate the headlong plunge of Patrick Roarke down the main staircase. He becomes involved in the lives of five alluring and dangerous women: Marcy, the beautiful Viennese governess with a past; Mrs. Ravenscroft, the flirtatious lady of the manor; Gillian, her charming but possibly demented daughter; Mrs. French, the formidable and passionate cook, and Dolly, a terrified maid. They lead him through a bewildering labyrinth of contradictory versions of Patrick's demise and that of the late Mr. Ravenscroft. There are ghosts on the staircase, skeletons in the closet, and much more than the Inspector bargained for. His investigation leads into his own tortured soul and the nature of truth itself. You will not guess the ending, but you will be teased, seduced, bewildered, amused, frightened and led to a dark encounter with truth or something even stranger."