Opening the season is “Jack the Ripper: Monster of Whitechapel,” a comedy thriller about the infamous serial killer who terrorized the streets of London in the 1800s. Jack the Ripper killed seven women and was never caught or identified.

In the play, Jack – played by both Joel Duden and Joshua Krough – has begun murdering and the incompetent commissioner of police Sir Charles Warren – played by Colton Brown – has to catch him. The theory is that Jack the Ripper practices black magic and has to perform sacrifices in order to live longer.

The play does not come with one ending, but rather multiple, exposing different suspects as Jack the Ripper. It is a play that keeps the audience engaged and guessing and directors Emily Stone and Stacy Hail are leading the way.

The play has a personal British touch, as well. Stone grew up in the Whitechapel district of London. She was feeling homesick when they were trying to pick plays for the coming season.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Actor Joel Duden plays the Boogeyman/Jack in “Jack the Ripper: Monster of Whitechapel” for the Marshalltown Community Theatre at the Martha Elle Tye Playhouse. The play opened Friday and additional performances will be given Saturday, Sunday and Oct. 18-20.

“It was hot and 90 degrees and I wanted the rain,” Stone said.

When she came across “Jack the Ripper: Monster of Whitechapel” she knew she had found the perfect play.

“This is a reimagining of the Jack the Ripper murders,” Stone said. “It takes bits and pieces from that era and puts them into a fantastical story. It’s a really cool play. It’s lots of fun and there are really interesting characters and suspects. The audience will wonder who is Jack the Ripper? Since there are multiple endings to this play, can you really be certain?”

She knows the Whitechapel district and she ensures all of the actors got vocal training to pull off British accents.

Stone said despite the subject matter and the PG-13 rated play, there is no graphic gore. The goriest scene is one where Jack the Ripper slits a woman’s throat and there is a little bit of blood, she said.

The audience should keep their eyes peeled for Easter eggs spread throughout the performance, Stone said.

“There are 30 that we wrote in,” she said. “We have worked really hard on this play. Come and see it. We have put our hearts and souls into it. Come and enjoy the show. If you like hearing someone like me talk, there will be a whole bunch of them at the play.”

The other upcoming plays in the Marshalltown Community Theatre season are “Play On” and “Pure As the Driven Snow.”

Auditions for “Play On” will be held Dec. 15-16. The theatre is seeking five men and five women all between the ages of 16-50.

SHOW TIMES AND TICKETS:

Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Oct. 11-12 and Oct. 18-19; 2 p.m. Oct. 13 and Oct. 20 at the Martha Ellen Tye Playhouse, 709 S. Center St.

Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for students and $5 for children and can be purchased at the box office.

JACK THE RIPPER CAST:

• Shelby Butcher as Mrs. Dobbs

• Scott Lindborg as Officer O’Connell

• Jesse Douglas DeMeyer as Phillip Poole

• Elisabeth Draisey as Polly Poole

• Lisa Naig as Ernestine Pankhurst

• Carter Richerodt as William

• Kenneth ‘Hobz’ Hooley as Forbes Winslow

• Tena Hausafus as Angela Ellison

• Theresa Walton as Pegeen Laszlo Macdougal

• Jake Esrey as Hogarth

• Katie Lyons as Annie Chapman

• Nicole Lynch as Kate Eddows

• Abby Riley as Anne Kelly

• Ayva Duden as Corpse