2011 |
THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM
(Edgar Allan Poe)
major national tour
“intense atmosphere and delicious plot ... and what a good look it has, from
the clever lighting effects to the eerie and brooding sound effects ... you have no excuse to miss
this fine production” (Derby Telegraph)
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THE HAUNTED BRIDE
(John Goodrum, after Charles Dickens)
national tour
“fantastic ... the audience jumped out of their skin” (The Public Reviews) |
 

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THE KINGFISHER
(William Douglas Home)
"engaging and absorbing" (Derbyshire Times)
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WIFE BEGINS AT 40
(Arne Sultan, Earl Barret and Ray Cooney)
"The large first-night audience hardly stopped
laughing." (Derbyshire Times) |

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The Kingfisher and Wife Begins At Forty were both presented in association with Tabs Productions, Talking Scarlet and the Pomegranate Theatre, Chesterfield, as part of that Theatre’s CiVIc six play repertory season |
2010 |
THE NIGHTMARE ROOM
(John Goodrum, after Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
major national tour
"masterly...spooky...first-rate" (Times)
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"A CHILLING thriller has set the stage alight at the Connaught Theatre,
Worthing, this week, leaving an impact on the audience that will last
long beyond the curtain closing ... much more chilling than the original
... Zoie Kennedy and Blue Merrick deliver a powerful performance that
will leave you stunned ... well worth seeing" (Worthing Herald)
"A dark chilling psychological melodrama
... Zoie Kennedy (Helen) and Blue Merrick (Catherine) are outstanding
... the tension mounts throughout as the menacing plot unfolds building
to its spine-chilling climax ... masterly" (remotegoat.co.uk)
"taut, cleverly crafted chiller
... edge-of-the-seat stuff
... the shock ending to Act One is only a taster;
the Act Two finale packs an even bigger punch
... Rumpus at the top of its form" (Derbyshire Times)
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THE DEAD HAND
(David Gilbrook, after Wilkie Collins)
national tour
"chills in plenty" (Whatsonstage)
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"Spook-tacular
night of drama" (Derbyshire Times)
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HIPPO & CO.
(An evening of Flanders and Swann)
"A delightfully funny musical entertainment" |
OLD TIMES
(Harold Pinter)
"the ambiguities, layers of meaning, deceptive simplicity and hidden menace are all there "(Derbyshire Times)
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CAUGHT IN THE NET
(Ray Cooney)
"a hilarious tangle of double entendres, locked doors, bizarre phone calls and near misses" (Derbyshire Times)
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Old Times and Caught In The Net were both presented in association with Tabs Productions, Talking Scarlet and the Pomegranate Theatre, Chesterfield, as part of that Theatre’s CiVIc six play repertory season |
2009 |
THE SIGNALMAN
(John Goodrum, after Charles Dickens)
major national tour
"A triumph. From the mysterious opening to the dramatic close, it held the audience, both young and not so young, enthralled" (Derbyshire Times)
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"A clever blend of An Inspector Calls and
The Woman in Black … an evening of old-fashioned spooky fun" (Kentish Times)
"Charles Dickens’ classic ghost story is faultlessly performed by Keith Drinkel and Mark Homer ... the suspense and intrigue builds beautifully throughout twisting down the darkened tracks until it’s dramatic
conclusion" (Peterborough Evening Telegraph)
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THE HORRIFIC CASE OF MR VALDEMAR
(Richard Layton, after Edgar Allen Poe)
national tour
"an enthralling and enticing show ... the tension created can be cut with a razor blade" (Northumberland Gazette)
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MR G & MR S
(John Goodrum)
"a light hearted new musical play" |
RUN FOR YOUR WIFE
(Ray Cooney)
"It made the audience rock with laughter" (Derbyshire Times)
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NIGHT MUST FALL
(Emlyn Williams)
"captures the 1930’s spirit to a nicety" (Derbyshire Times)
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Night Must Fall and Run For Your Wife were both presented in association with Tabs Productions, Talking Scarlet and the Pomegranate Theatre, Chesterfield, as part of that Theatre’s 60th Anniversary six play
repertory season. Night Must Fall also visited Middlesbrough Theatre. |
2008 |
DRACULA'S GUEST
(John Goodrum)
and national tour
"brilliant final-scene twist left the audience gasping" (Derbyshire Times)
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WHAT THE DICKENS?
(Karen Henson & John Goodrum
"A light-hearted romp in words and music"
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A BIT
BETWEEN
THE TEETH
(Michael Pertwee)
"hilarious…constant laughter" (Derbyshire Times)
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ALFIE
(Bill Naughton)
"a moving glimpse into a past that’s not very far behind us" (Derbyshire Times)
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ART
(Yasmina Reza) (translated by Christopher Hampton)
and national tour
"engaging and witty" (Derbyshire Times)
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2007 |
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THE RIPPER FILES
(John Goodrum)
and national tour
"Magnificent…this unusual who-dunnit gripped like steel…I literally jumped out of my seat" (Thanet Gazette)
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CARRY ON IN THE BLACKOUT!
(Karen Henson & John Goodrum)
and national tour
"A delightful evocation of life, love and song
on the Norfolk Home Front!"
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CARRY ON COWARD
(Karen Henson & John Goodrum)
and national tour
"A programme of pure relaxation and enjoyment...what a Master of
Melody Coward was!"
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ART
(Yasmina Reza) (translated by Christopher Hampton)
"in the hands of these experienced players ART entertains as it makes you listen and think" (Derbyshire Times)
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BELL, BOOK & CANDLE
(John Van Druten)
"comedy casts a bewitching spell" (Derbyshire Times)
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2006 |
THE MYSTERY
OF
EDWIN DROOD
(John Goodrum)
and national tour
"one of the most inventive productions to date" (Derbyshire Times)
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ONE FLING AFTER ANOTHER
(John Goodrum)
"split-second entries and exits, colourful characters, running jokes and hilarious set-ups…the large first-night audience had a thoroughly great time - as did the cast, as they chased each other round the stage and timed every gag to gleeful perfection" (Derbyshire Times )
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JUMPERS
(Tom Stoppard)
"manic black humour...glorious flamboyance" (Derbyshire Times)
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2005 |
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THE NIGHTMARE ROOM
(John Goodrum, after Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
and national tour
"Excellent acting...slick direction" (Eastern Daily Press)
"Masterly" (Derbyshire Times)
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NEVILLE'S ISLAND
(Tim Firth)
"these four tread the fine line between hilarity and anguish adeptly" (Derbyshire Times)
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2004 |
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THE JUDGE'S HOUSE!
(John Goodrum, after Bram Stoker)
and national tour
"all the Gothic horror ingredients - the raging storm, thunder and lightning, glowing rats' eyes in the dark, the begrimed portrait on the wall, and a Psycho-like denouement at the end...a damned good story" (British Theatre Guild)
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THE MATING GAME
(Robin Hawdon)
"quickfire and perfectly-timed" (Derbyshire Times)
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QUARTET
(Ronald Harwood)
"vivid, poignant, funny and unfailingly entertaining...made me want to stand up and cheer" (Derbyshire Times)
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2003 |
| NOW YOU SEE IT
(Georges Feydeau) |
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THE COMEDY OF TERRORS!
(John Goodrum)
and national tour
"a farcical and hilarious couple of hours...splendid" (Bracknell News)
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COPENHAGEN
(Michael Frayn) |
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2002 |
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SECOND FROM LAST IN THE SACK RACE
(Michael Birch, after David Nobbs)
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THE BLACK VEIL
(John Goodrum, after Dickens)
and national tour
"a sure-fire winner" (Derbyshire Times)
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THE BLUE ROOM
(David Hare)
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2001 |
LOOK, NO HANS!
(John Chapman and Michael Pertwee)
"fast, furious and fun" (Derbyshire Times)
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SORRY I LOVE YOU...
(John Goodrum)
and national tour
"Highly recommended, as is everything done by Rumpus… I laughed out loud " (indielondon.co.uk)
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NO MAN'S LAND
(Harold Pinter)
"the first-night audience was spellbound" (Derbyshire Times)
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2000 |
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RUN FOR YOUR WIFE
(Ray Cooney)
"A comic masterpiece...fast-paced and precisely timed...Rumpus know better than many how to please an audience" (Derbyshire Times)
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THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM
(John Goodrum, after Poe)
and national tour
"adapted and directed with nothing less than genius" (Wimbledon Borough News)
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AWAY FROM IT ALL
(Lynne Patrick)
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1999 |
SEASON'S GREETINGS
(Alan Ayckbourn)
"masters of the high audience appeal production" (Derbyshire Times)
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THE HAUNTED HOUSE
(John Goodrum, after Dickens)
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1998 |
INTIMATE EXCHANGES
(Alan Ayckbourn) |
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BLOOD RELATIONS
(John Goodrum) |
1997 |
TIME AND TIME AGAIN
(Alan Ayckbourn)
"fun night out" (Derbyshire Times)
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THE SIGNALMAN
(John Goodrum, after Dickens)
"ideal entertainment for a winter’s night" (Observer)
"deserves to join the ranks of stage shows that really send a shiver up the spine" (Express)
"Definitely not one for the faint-hearted!" (Derbyshire Times)
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DUET FOR ONE
(Tom Kempinski) |
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ABSURD PERSON SINGULAR
(Alan Ayckbourn)
"colourful and hilarious...lots of laughs...immaculate comic timing" (Derbyshire Times)
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1996 |
SAME TIME NEXT YEAR
(Bernard Slade) |
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PRIVATE LIVES
(Noel Coward)
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1995 |
| MURDERER
(Anthony Schaffer) |
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1994 |
SCHUBERT FOUNTAIN
(John Goodrum)
Chesterfield Arts Centre and national tour
"part historical, part fiction, part comedy, part tragedy, but above all, a work of art...a gripping, passionate performance" (The Stage )
"an absorbing study and a tour de force" (Eastern Daily Press)
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