The Cat and the Canary 2024

Adapted by Carl Grose, from the play by John Willard

A Told by an Idiot and Chichester Festival Theatre co-production

“We are delighted to be collaborating with Chichester Festival Theatre on Carl Grose’s wonderful new version of John Willard's original creepy murder mystery ‘The Cat and the Canary’. Inspired by Rian Johnson’s deliciously entertaining whodunnit ‘Knives Out’, our aim is to create a scarily comic entertainment where nothing is what it seems. This iconic play is where it all began; a big spooky abode in the middle of nowhere, an ensemble of desperates, the dangling inheritance, the gathering storm, murder and madness... 'The Cat and the Canary' is a beguiling blend of laughs and frights, and is the perfect theatrical treat as the nights draw in.”

Paul Hunter, Artistic Director of Told by an Idiot

As midnight strikes, a storm rages over the wilds of Bodmin Moor. The surviving descendants of the long-deceased Cyrus West have gathered in his remote mansion to discover which of them is the chosen heir to his fortune. As the wind rattles the house, so does news that the most dangerous inmate from the nearby asylum is on the run. Menace lurks around every corner and nothing is what it seems…

The Cat and the Canary has woven its macabre fascination for over 100 years. Carl Grose adapted John Willard’s fabulous period piece into a deliciously terrifying and terrifyingly funny tale that had its audiences on the edge – or possibly right out – of their seats.

Disclaimer: those of a nervous disposition, allergic to terror and frights and bumps in the night, attended with caution…