Gaslicht

Patrick Hamilton GASLIGHT: A Mystery Play

London, 1880. After Bella and Jack Manningham move into their new home, Bella begins to doubt her sanity. Why do the gas lamps keep flickering in the evening? Why are objects disappearing from the living room? Could she be suffering from the same mental illness that sent her mother to an asylum? Her husband Jack only serves to intensify these fears.

Just as Bella’s condition threatens to worsen, a stranger appears. He claims to be a retired Scotland Yard inspector named William Rough. He says he has been searching for many years for a fugitive murderer who killed an old woman in the Manninghams’ living room to steal her jewels. He is certain that the murderer will now return to the scene of the crime... Who is this man? Who is the murderer? Who can Bella trust?

The play “Gaslight,” which premiered in London in 1938 and was adapted into a film in 1944 starring Ingrid Bergman in the lead role under the title “The House of Lady Alquist,” quickly became a huge success. As a result, the term “gaslighting” became established to describe a specific form of psychological manipulation and emotional abuse. Now, this multi-layered psychological thriller can be seen for the first time at the Altes Schauspielhaus in a production directed by Artistic Director Axel Preuß.

Performances September 18 through October 24, 2026

Starring Felician Hohnloser, Andreas Klaue, Annette Mayer, Hannah Sophie Schad, Lisa Wildmann
Directed by Axel Preuß
Set and Costumes by Vesna Hiltmann
Fight Choreography by Stefan Müller-Doriat
Dramaturgy by Susanne Schmitt