Edinburgh author Ian Rankin’s Rebus story written exclusively for stage gets Scottish premiere in Capital

Gary Flockhart
By Gary Flockhart
Published 28th Jun 2024, 11:18 BST
Updated 28th Jun 2024, 11:22 BST
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A splendid dinner party in an Edinburgh mansion concludes with a murder mystery game created by the hostess. A murder needs to be solved. But the guests have secrets of their own, threatened by the very game they are playing...

… Among them is Inspector John Rebus. True crime is his calling. Is he playing an alternative game, one to which only he knows the rules? There are suspects, clues and danger with every twist and turn - and a shocking discovery will send this game called ‘Malice' hurtling towards a gasp-inducing conclusion…

Hot-on-the-heels of the critically acclaimed new BBC TV series, Ian Rankin’s much-loved detective is set to return in the stage production of Rebus: A Game Called Malice, which visits Edinburgh's Festival Theatre from 10 to 14 September.

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Best known for his roles in Coronation Street, Peak Practice and Casualty, Gray O’Brien plays John Rebus, Billy Hartman returns to the role of Jack Fleming, having created it for the stage in 2023, and Abigail Thaw plays Stephanie Jeffries. Loveday Ingram directs.

Rebus: A Game Called Malice by Ian Rankin (right) will have its Scottish Premiere at the Edinburgh Festival Theatre, with Gray O’Brien (left) in the title role.Rebus: A Game Called Malice by Ian Rankin (right) will have its Scottish Premiere at the Edinburgh Festival Theatre, with Gray O’Brien (left) in the title role.
Rebus: A Game Called Malice by Ian Rankin (right) will have its Scottish Premiere at the Edinburgh Festival Theatre, with Gray O’Brien (left) in the title role.

Fife-born, Edinburgh-based author Rankin's books have been translated into thirty-six languages and have been adapted for radio, the stage and the screen. His Rebus novels have dominated the detective fiction market with the recent BBC television series ensuring the detective’s legendary status.

Ian Rankin's Rebus: A Game Called Malice, Edinburgh's Festival Theatre, 10-14 September 2024, 0131-529 6000 / www.capitaltheatres.com

Related topics:Ian RankinEdinburghTrue CrimeFifeBBC

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