Scaplen’s Community Players 
Bournemouth Little Theatre, Bournemouth
Suzanne Viney 
01 May 2026
150 years ago, the brutal crimes of a serial killer, dubbed Jack the Ripper, cast shadows across the London district of Whitechapel. Despite extensive investigations, these heinous murders remained unsolved; the Ripper became synonymous with all that is depraved and diabolical about humanity. Inspector Frederick Abberline, a Dorset man (born in Blandford and later residing in Bournemouth), was the officer assigned the onerous task of apprehending the Beast of Whitechapel. Ironically, one of the prime suspects for the murders, Montague Druitt, also hailed from Dorset and was laid to rest in Wimborne Cemetery.
It is this infamous story that Scaplen’s Community Players have chosen as the basis for their latest drama, Shadows over Whitechapel. Community theatre is a great thing, fostering a spirit of collaboration and celebrating local history. A huge amount of work has clearly gone in to creating this production, with its colourful costumes, atmospheric set and well-integrated sound effects.
Written by Katy Nutt, the play opens with the Prologue, delivered by the engaging Carole Allen, who outlines the background to the events and gives the audience a sense of the fear being experienced by Whitchapel’s inhabitants. The stage is then populated by a range of colourful East End characters, notably Phoebe Smith (Sue Gibson), who would not be out of place in the pages of a Dickens novel. Several characters adopt convincing Cockney accents, which helps the audience to feel immersed in the dark underbelly of Victorian London. The Metropolitan Police Officers, led by the determined and compassionate Inspector Abberline (played with sensitivity by Robert Rankin), work well together to illustrate the growing frustration at being outwitted by such a devious murderer.
There are a number of shifts in scene, the first being to the Poole Arms, where Dorset locals discuss the news from London. Here the ensemble cast interact effectively to create the ambiance of a 19th-century public house. The audience are helped in these transitions by the use of signs, reminiscent of the written information in silent films, which indicate the changes in location. The scene changes themselves are rather long, slowing the pace of the play and therefore dispelling some of the tension. Perhaps more use could be made of the actors themselves to move furniture and props around the stage.
As the murders increase, the story is held together by Sean Beaumont, who excels as the Newspaper-seller, calling out his headlines and commenting on the action as a kind of chorus figure. There is a nice cameo performance by David Vinter as Fred Best, the hack reporter, and another by Janet MacLoughlin as Agatha Frame. Victoria Stanton did an excellent job of singlehandedly leading all the musical interludes.
As the show reaches its conclusion, the structure of events becomes a little less convincing. Whilst the Vaudeville-style acts at the Amity Hall are fun, and well-acted (I loved Alan Lodge’s Samson the Stalwart), they seemed a little incongruous with the rest of the action. All the fear was replaced by jollity, which seemed odd considering that the perpetrator had not be caught and the newspaper billboard still read, “FIVE MURDERS.”
Overall, this was an interesting night out. Credit must go to the director, Shipa Khatun, for pulling together such a large cast and crew to work as a team. Well done, everyone! This is a massive group-effort that reflects the dedication of all those who have been involved.
