Night at the Vulcan by Ngaio Marsh: A Review

Martyn Tarne came from New Zealand to London hoping to find a career in the theatre. Her money and references were stolen at the dock in London, and now this nineteen year old aspiring actress is hungry and homeless. After fruitlessly trying theatrical agencies, she has found herself at the Vulcan theatre. She takes the job as dresser to Helena Hamilton who is the beautiful leading lady in the latest production.

She meets the people who are involved in this play. There is Adam Poole who is both an actor and manager of the Vulcan. Martyn bears a striking resemblance to Adam, and they are distantly related.  Clark Bennington is the hard drinking husband of Helena Hamilton, but she is much more interested in Adam Poole. Other supporting actors include J. C. Darcy who does character roles, and Parry Percival who is a young and possibly gay. Lastly the cast includes Gay Gainsford who got her role because she was the niece of Clark Bennington. She definitely lacks the skill to do her role successfully. Jacques Dore is an assisstant to Mr. Poole and carries out a great many jobs in the theatre. Dr. John James Rutherford is the dour and demanding author of the play.

The Vulcan theatre has a bad history. Several years earlier when it was named the Jupiter, an actor was murdered by another actor. Adam Poole has renamed it and updated it. Still, some of the actors feel that it has bad vibrations.  On the opening night of the new production, a death of an actor occurs which may be suicide or may be murder.  Enter suave and mannered inspector Roderick Allyn. He had  investigated the first death at this theatre, and is back to find a solution to the latest one.

I thought this a very well written book. The death does not occur until half way through the book which gives the reader enough time to get to know the characters and their relation to each other. For theatre fans, there is a very good description of the rehearsals for the production of this new play.

This book was originally published in 1951. It is now available as an ebook.