The House by the Lake
The House by the Lake is a 1956 British stage thriller in three acts, by Hugh Mills. The main characters are Maurice and Stella, a brother and sister who plot to murder their unlikeable brother, Colin. The other characters include Maurice's wife, Janet, Colin's long-suffering wife, Iris, and Colonel Forbes, a neighbour.
It premiered at the Prince of Wales Theatre, Cardiff before transferring to London's West End, where it ran for two years, starring Flora Robson and Andrew Cruickshank; and has since become a staple of amateur dramatics.
Original production
The play, directed by John Fernald, opened at the Duke of York's Theatre on 9 May 1956, with the following cast:- Brenda - Doreen Morton
- Colin - Paul Lee
- Colonel Forbes - Andrew Laurence
- Colonel Forbes - Frank Royde
- Iris - Sylvia Coleridge
- Janet Holt - Flora Robson
- Maurice Holt - Andrew Cruickshank
- Mr Howard - Alan McNaughtan
- Mr. Howard - Richard Warner
- Nurse Thomson - Annette Kerr
- Stella - Jenny Laird