Murder Unprompted

Fame at last - or so Charles Paris hopes when his latest play moves from the provinces to London's West End. Though Charles is a competent actor he does not have the drawing power at the box office. As he agrees to be an understudy and a big-name star comes in Charles soon recognizes familiar signs of disaster backstage at 'The Hooded Owl'. But even he is surprised when an actor is murdered in full view of the audience on stage on the opening night. Charles pitches in on stage and as an amateur detective in the dressing rooms. The suspects are many, ranging from a jealous wife to a bitter actor who lost his part to the playwright who heard his beautiful lines twisted and the director who saw his work ruined.