"Wait Until the Ghost Is Clear" - a farce by Ian Hornby

Stage Plays by Ian Hornby

Wait Until the Ghost Is Clear
Farce - single set - 2m 4f or 3m 3f*

Synopsis
Jack's marriage to Jill is not a happy one. His business is in trouble. Mother-in-law Edna is coming to stay. What else can go wrong? Jack is cleaning his gun ready to go to the shooting club with his friend and partner Walter when suddenly the lights go out and there is a shot and a scream. The police suspect Jilly of his murder, specially since a recent large life insurance policy is discovered in her name. In desperation Jilly and her friend Sarah try to solve the crime by recreating it. As the lights come back on there is Jack as large as... life!!?? Jack and Jilly eventually discover the culprit and it is time for him to return to "the other side"... except he doesn't want to go!

Character	Lines
Jack a solicitor	609
Jilly his wife	784
Sarah Jilly's best friend	245
Edna Jilly's mother	146
Walter Jack's partner	45
Inspector James* a police detective	46
Note that Inspector James* could be played by a man or a woman

Author's notes
"Wait Until the Ghost is Clear" is, I hope, another good "play on words" title and was the second in a trilogy of ghost comedies, the second being "Late of This Address" and the third never having materialised (yet - watch this space!).

This one was inspired by the idea of a ghost magically reappearing in the middle of a scene and also with his fascination for his wife's best friend, together with the possibilities of what he could get up to if she didn't know he was there!