St Michael's Players to Stage Terence Rattigan's Cause Célèbre

A gripping true-crime drama of passion, scandal and justice

The play concerns the 1935 trial of Alma Rattenbury and her teenage lover George Percy Stoner

February 6, 2026

St Michael's Players return this spring with one of Terence Rattigan's most compelling late works, Cause Célèbre, bringing a notorious 1930s murder case to the stage in a production directed by Alison Du Cane.

The play runs from Wednesday 22 to Saturday 25 April at 7.45pm at St Michael's Centre, Elmwood Road, W4.

Rattigan's final play, first performed in 1977 just weeks before his death, revisits the extraordinary 1935 trial of Alma Rattenbury and her teenage lover George Percy Stoner, accused of killing Alma's husband in a case that transfixed the nation. Newspapers revelled in the lurid details — illicit passion, heavy drinking, drug use and a brutal attack — but Rattigan's drama digs deeper, exploring the emotional entanglements and moral ambiguities behind the headlines.

At its heart is a courtroom battle in which each defendant tries to shoulder the blame, leaving the jury — and the audience — to wrestle with the question of guilt, responsibility and the destructive power of obsession.

Although written late in his career, Cause Célèbre shows Rattigan at his most assured: sharp in its psychological insight, elegant in its structure and quietly devastating in its emotional force. The play was widely praised on its debut for its blend of gripping legal drama and intimate character study, and it remains one of his most underrated works.

The production marks another ambitious choice for St Michael's Players, one of West London's oldest and most respected amateur theatre companies. Founded more than 70 years ago, the Players have built a reputation for thoughtful, high-quality productions ranging from classic drama to contemporary comedy, often tackling challenging material with a professionalism that belies their community roots.

Their recent seasons have included everything from Alan Ayckbourn to Agatha Christie, and Cause Célèbre continues their tradition of selecting plays that combine strong storytelling with rich character work — ideal territory for a company known for its ensemble strength.

Tickets from £10 are now on sale at: www.stmichaelsplayers.org.

This page is sponsored by West London Queer Project who support community initiatives in Chiswick.