Synopsis
In the Heat of the Night
Published by Samuel French Inc
8 Male 2 Female
It's 1962 and a hot August night lies heavy over the small town of Argo, Alabama
A dead white man is discovered and the local police arrest a black stranger named Virgil Tibbs
The police discover that their prime suspect is in fact a homicide detective from California
As events unfold, Tibbs becomes the racially-tense community's single hope in solving a brutal murder that is turning up no witnesses, no motives, and no clues
Characters ...
ACTOR #1: Chief Gillespie
ACTOR #2: Virgil Tibbs
ACTOR #3: Sam Wood
ACTOR #4: Pete/Man In Shadows/Klansman 1
ACTOR #5: Harvey Oberst/Purdy/Klansman
ACTOR #6: Charles Tatum/Endicott/Al Jennings
ACTOR #7: Coroner/Mayor Schubert/Klansman
ACTOR #8: Eric Kaufman/Ralph/Klansman
ACTOR #9: Melanie Tatum
ACTOR #10: Noreen Purdy
"A tight and timely thriller!" ~ Theatermania.com
"It's eminently stageworthy ... a tense and exciting story that follows the book's basic plot but offers viewers a distinctly new and different In the Heat of the Night" ~ CurtainUp
"The play is taut and startlingly resonant, even as it deals with events taking place nearly 50 years ago. Pelfrey's work is economical and uncompromising ... suspenseful, thrilling, and stunningly theatrical" ~ Nytheatre.com