Swansea Grand Theatre
Lurking within The Ripper Files! is the heart of a gripping play, but much like one of the Whitechapel Murderer’s unfortunate victims, it might require some ‘ripping’ to unearth it.
Directed and designed by John Goodrum, Rumpus Theatre Company’s Gothic drama takes us back to 1901, where we, the audience, are addressed as attendees of a lecture given by Detective Inspector Charles William Lestrange (David Gilbrook). Once tasked with solving the infamous Ripper crimes, he now revisits the case, piecing together the evidence with the help – though not the enthusiasm – of ex-colleague Samuel Edward (Mark Pearce) and aspiring musical theatre star Miss Elsie Fordham (Sarah Wynne Kordas), who make no secret of the fact that they’re only in it for the money, reluctantly stepping into various roles within Lestrange’s grim narrative.
It’s an intriguing premise, and while it comes to life eventually, the first half feels like being trapped in a particularly dry history class. Drenched in exposition and delivered in long-winded monologues, it leans heavily into the lecture format – at one point, they joke that if there isn’t a murder soon, they might lose the audience… and then proceed to ramble on further. The moments of comedy – light gags and puns – are all well and good, but they occasionally sit awkwardly alongside the more gruesome subject matter. Meanwhile, the script’s insistence on narrating the precise locations of every scene in minute detail makes it feel like a Victorian-era sat nav. Informative? Sure. Dramatic? Not so much.
Then comes the second half, where the show finally remembers it’s meant to be a thriller. The atmosphere darkens, the lighting and sound design combine to striking effect, and Jack the Ripper himself looms more menacingly, reading his letters in blood-red ink to a haunting tune that wouldn’t sound out of place in a John Carpenter film. At last, we get what we came for – bawdy women of the night, bumbling policemen, and a shadowy killer always one step ahead. When it works, it works well; Jack is cleverly obscured yet always threatening, murder most foul is revealed in a flash of lightning, and the final twist is certainly unique.
That said, don’t expect The Woman in Black levels of jump scares, and those anticipating a blood-soaked experience might be disappointed. This is closer to a TV crime drama than full-blown horror, appealing more to those drawn to a history-driven approach.
Ultimately, The Ripper Files! is a case of two halves: a slow, overly descriptive opening followed by a more engaging finale. There’s a solid show in here somewhere – but like Lestrange’s investigation, it remains shrouded in London’s fog.