PETER COLLEY Playwright-Screenwriter
I'LL BE BACK BEFORE MIDNIGHT!
(2 Males, 2 Females, 1 set, 2 Acts)
(To download the free TECHNICAL NOTES in PDF Format to assist theatre companies with the staging of the play, Click here )
I'LL BE BACK BEFORE MIDNIGHT has been described by the Toronto Globe & Mail as the most
popular stage play in Canadian history. It has been produced in 27 countries,
48 of
the 50 states in the U.S. and every province in Canada. It has
broken numerous box office records including a 2004/5 record-breaking UK National
Tour. It was made into a
Hollywood feature film starring Heather Locklear, Ned Beatty, Robert
Carradine, and Susannah York.
For a detailed production history of the play, click here:
The Midnight Story.
SYNOPSIS & REVIEWS:
THE STORY: Jan has recently had a nervous breakdown, and her husband Greg, an archeologist, has rented an old farmhouse in the country where she can recover. The old farmhouse is also near an archeological dig where he can continue his studies. When George, the hilarious farmer they rent the house from, tells stories about a terrible murder that once took place in the farmhouse and the ghost that reputedly stalks the night, Jan's imagination gets fired up. The situation gets even worse when Laura, Greg's beautiful but manipulative sister arrives. Soon Jan finds herself tormented by strange sounds in the night, and visions of the vengeful ghost. Is she having another breakdown? Is someone trying to drive her mad? When she tries to defend herself from this apparition, events take an unexpected turn in a night of unimaginable suspense.
"The most memorable theatre experience of my life.
Made me realize what live theatre could be." Calgary Herald 2006
I'LL BE BACK BEFORE MIDNIGHT named as "Best of 2006 Calgary Theatre" by the Calgary Sun.
"If you love a ghost story, you won’t want to miss this thrilling, comic production. A compelling script makes I’ll Be Back Before Midnight a surprising evening that is fresh, dark, and horrifyingly twisted. Scream, laugh, scream again and hang on to your seats!" Kansas City Star, 2009
"I’ll Be Back Before Midnight will have you grinning murderously." Providence Phoenix (RI)
READ REVIEWS, SEE PHOTOS AND VIDEOS OF THE AMERICAN HEARTLAND THEATRE'S 2009 PRODUCTION:
click on photo
"A wonderfully funny and spooky opener for the 2009/10 season. A first-rate thriller." Fox TV.
JUST IN! "Midnight" has been nominated for 9 New Zealand 2008 NAPTA Awards, including Best Play!
Manchester Evening News Award, best production.
The world famous Cambridge Footlights (Monty Python, Beyond The Fringe, Borat) produced I'LL BE BACK BEFORE MIDNIGHT in 2007. For details click here.
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REVIEWS: W. Baird Blackstone - Vancouver Courier “No amount of praise seems excessive... you’ll either be shivering in your seat or rolling out of it with laughter." Ari Salant - New York Theatre Voice “Midnight!" is good enough for Broadway... it's a first rate thriller that will scare the daylights out of you... The opening night audience was ready to jump out of its skin with fright... It should become part of the standard stock repertoire." Doug Bale - London Free Press (Ont.) "O foul and fearful! You will certainly scream and laugh in the same breath. O horror – a play to be enjoyed!. You can’t help but be entertained by this homage to Agatha Christie - every character did it, except the butler because there isn’t one. For people who want a justification for going to the theatre, this play actually reveals how politicians and terrorists can tap into our fears so easily - of course I’ll Be Back Before Midnight was never meant to bear responsibility for such heavy thoughts, so don’t worry, be happy and you will indeed have as the program advertises: "A wonderful night of blood-curdling fun!". " Frank Malone, M.A., F.A.C.E., Canberra, Australia To read great reviews from a production at Britain's historic Coliseum Theatre (near Manchester): click here |
Blyth Festival |
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“This play is rich in plot twists, wicked characters and macabre developments... but this is also a cleverly written play... complex and colorful... It pushes you to the edge of your seat... thick with suspense... and WOW, what an ending!" Mark Anderson - The Advocate (New Hampshire) “More than just a thriller or a murder-mystery, this is a really good play... It is at once a mystery, a psychological thriller and a horror story with as many laugh-out-loud moments as ones that will make you jump out of your seat. It also will keep audiences surprised to the very end. It's as thrilling as a rollercoaster and you never know if anyone is quite what they seem." Bill Blankenship - Capital-Journal (2006)
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London Free Press |
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“More spine-chilling than Deathtrap. My ears still ring from the screams of the girls behind me... The end is such a surprise and such a relief that the audience explodes in cheers. A block-busting box office success." McKenzie Porter - Toronto Sun “Wonderfully spooky... somewhere between an Agatha Christie mystery and a Hitchcock thriller. Peter Colley sends up the haunted house bit with witty dialogue, and at the next moment interrupts the audience's laughter with a heart-thumping scare... A really good ghost story." Debra Sharp - Toronto Globe and Mail “Midnight" is the perfect concoction of suspense and mayhem mixed with just the right amount of comic relief... There are some spine-tingling scenes that had the opening night audience gasping, shouting and begging for mercy. If you don't jump out of your seat at least once during the evening you've been endowed with nerves of steel.” Richard Whelan - The Stratford Beacon
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Theatre Royal, Windsor |
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just watched most of the second act through the shielding fingers
of my right hand... but even then I saw enough of it to set me
screaming out loud at least three--oh, hell, it was probably four times!
See it if you dare!"
Nicholas Reed - Vancouver Sun “Everyone who has seen "I'LL BE BACK BEFORE MIDNIGHT!" agrees that it is a thriller extraordinaire... one of the best productions ever staged by the Lighthouse Theatre." The Maple Leaf “Playwright Peter Colley did a sensational job when he wrote “I'LL BE BACK BEFORE MIDNIGHT!” - a play where past and present, truth and illusion entwine to create an atmosphere of chilling suspense and intrigue." Nicki de Vries - The Brunswickian |
The Toronto Sun |
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“Amazingly successful thriller... likely to be back again and again! Phenomenal... a stratospheric scariness rating!” Doug Bale - London Free Press “If you're looking for a night of excitement, catch "I'LL BE BACK BEFORE MIDNIGHT!", Gryphon Theatre's spine-tingling new production. This fun chiller-thriller glues you to the edge of your seat with surprises, conspiracy and a climax that keeps everyone guessing until the final curtain. The comic relief [is] screamingly funny... as playwright Peter Colley has skillfully interwoven the laughter with the horror... an emotional roller coaster ride... with more twists and turns than a country road!" Michele DeLorenzo - Barrie Banner “The most riveting production of the year. A must-see! Extremely well-written... never predictable... the most disturbing thing about the play is the playwright’s devious mind that was able to conceive of such a plot. He controlled his audience entirely while making us laugh" The Barbados Advocate & Sun - Barbados, West Indies
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Vancouver Playhouse |
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genuine thriller that guarantees to scare the pants right off you...
well-developed and surprising plot twists... hilarious verbal exchanges.
"I'LL BE BACK BEFORE MIDNIGHT!" will have you on the
floor, laughing or hiding. Enjoy!"
Len Eichel - Arts & Review (Vancouver) "Theatre-By-The-Sea's new comedy-thriller is guaranteed to scare you... it kept the audience laughing and jumping... everyone was on the edge of their seats!" Susan Littlefield - Rochester Courier “Peter Colley's thriller had the audience riveted to their seats with an effective blend of comedy and suspense... enjoyed every terrifying moment... the best play of the season.” Cheryl Bauslaugh - Simcoe Reformer “It tingles the spine and sends goose bumps up the arms... the opening night audience collectively perched on the edge of their seats... All the little nuances of an underlying scheme gradually build to a nerve-shattering climax that was done in superb fashion! It delightfully and deliciously scared the living daylights out of the audience!" Holly Young - New Hampshire Magazine
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Toronto Globe & Mail |
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“Theatre New Brunswick's production is an acute roller-coaster ride of a thriller, relentlessly terrifying an audience that loves every minute of it. The capacity crowd gasped, stifled shrieks, laughed nervously, clutched the arm next to them and applauded heartily with relief as the final Act closed." Elaine Bateman - Saint Croix Courier “The reason for the sold-out houses... is that the play is so much fun. The character of George is the funniest farmer since Pa Kettle!" Dave Watson - Vancouver Press “You know a mystery-thriller is successful when you leave finger gouges on the arms of the theatre seats. "I'LL BE BACK BEFORE MIDNIGHT!" is a knuckle-whitening adventure of suspense and drama!... a night of fun and fright!” Ian McKinnon - Vancouver Comment
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Belfry Theatre, Victoria |
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“If you've never seen "I'LL BE BACK BEFORE MIDNIGHT!" it's hard to appreciate just how much pleasure you can have laughing and choking in rhythmic alternation! It is an astute concoction of intriguing characters, tangled psychological conflicts and shameless theatrics... hilarious... as it drives us toward a comic abyss!" Lyle Slack - Hamilton Spectator “Cardiac suspense punctuated by vital comic relief... near-perfect pacing... sent shivers up the audience's spine!" Paul Milton - Nanticoke Times "Thrillers, if performed well, can be scarier on stage than on screen, and the Spokane Civic Theatre has performed the thriller "I'll Be Back Before Midnight" well indeed. This oft-produced play is an artfully contrived tale of murder, madness and ghosts... yet many of the chills are of a psychological variety. There are some serious psychological undercurrents at work in this unhappy little threesome, but we don't find out until the end exactly what they are. I'll Be Back Before Midnight" delivers just what it's supposed to deliver: some good shivers and a thoroughly entertaining evening of theater." The
Spokesman Review (Knight-Ridder/Tribune) 2006 |
Theatre New Brunswick |
CRITIC'S PICK - Baltimore City Paper 2006
"Midnight" was declared the best production of the Quonta Regional Drama Festival.
"In the 24 year history of our theatre our some long-time audience members still talk about "I'll Be Back Before Midnight" as one of their favorites." Elmira Theatre 2007.
CATA Award and NODA Award (2007) winner in Great Britain.
"I'll Be Back Before Midnight is still one of the most talked about shows we have produced and we can't wait for the next production of a Peter Colley play". Putnam County Playhouse, USA.
To see photos of some of the theatres that have done MIDNIGHT, click here.
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WANT MORE? CHECK OUT THE
REVIEWS FROM THE BRITISH PRESS BY CLICKING ON THE FLAG: |
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WANT EVEN MORE? LIKE
ITALIAN? IF YOU'D LIKE TO SEE THE POSTERS AND REVIEWS OF THE
ITALIAN PRODUCTION CLICK ON THE FLAG: |
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STILL NOT ENOUGH? READ THE REVIEWS OF THE GERMAN PRODUCTIONS BY CLICKING ON THE FLAG BELOW:
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For information on the movie version of the play CLICK HERE
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A technical manual for this play is available from the
Playwrights Guild of Canada for Canadian productions, and from Baker's
Plays for U.S. productions. It is included with the script published
by Samuel French Ltd (London). |
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North American version of the script available from: NOTE: Bakers Plays is now part of Samuel French Inc.
Samuel French Inc.
Click on the above logo to order the play or go to: The above companies also handle the amateur rights and some professional rights in the U.S.A.
CANADA
British version of this script available from: ENGLAND Samuel French (London) handles the amateur and some professional rights of this play in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, and some other English-speaking countries. For all rights contact the author at:
The
above email address is a graphic so that SPAM email
harvesting programs cannot see it. You must manually type in
the email address! Thanks! |
Available in an Italian translation by Sergio Jacquier
Available in a French translation by Josée la
Bossière
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The New York cast. |
Vancouver Playhouse on its way to a multi-year run. Nominated for 4 Jessie Awards including Best Production. |
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Camping it up at the historic Totem Pole Playhouse
Pennsylvania 2006 - one of America's finest professional summer theatres. |
Nantucket Arts Festival 2007 |
 From a British production in 2008 |
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 Scenes from the Danish production. |
 The The Danish cast. |
Showboat Majestic, America's last Mississippi showboat.
Jomfru Ane Teatret - Denmark 2007
Left: From the UK, 2006. Right: Blyth Festival 2005
Theatre Orangeville, 2009 - to see their podcast: CLICK
HERE
Victoria Playhouse 2009 (Left) Surrey, BC 2009
(Right)
Victoria Playhouse, 2009
Now that's how to blow a stove (UK production)
2010, Portuguese Production
I'LL BE BACK BEFORE MIDNIGHT was staged with an all-black cast at The Pantry Playhouse in the Hilton Hotel, Kingston, Jamaica (to see cast photo click here).
