Eight Women

When a family comes together for the holidays, the head of the household is found murdered upstairs with a knife in his back. The telephone has been cut and snow blocks their escape. As eight women try to discover who the killer is, old enmities resurface and bitter recriminations start to fly. Each has a secret, a revelation and a motive. One of them is guilty. But which one?

Robert Thomas’ play Huit Femmes was originally written for the stage in 1961, turning a classic whodunnit inside out to reveal twisted family relationships, explosive tensions and unexpected tales within this dark observational comedy. Transformed into an all-star film by Francois Ozon in 2002, Eight Women has now been reclaimed for the stage in a brand new translation by Donald Sturrock for its official British premiere at Southwark Playhouse.

Elgiva Field and designer Anna Bliss Scully have transported Eight Women to England in the 1980s when Dallas and Dynasty reigned supreme and back stabbing and being competitive was de rigueur.