The Servant in the House

"The Servant in the House" by Charles Rann Kennedy is a play set in an early 20th-century English vicarage, presenting the lives of its inhabitants: a vicar, his wife, their niece Mary, and the enigmatic new butler, Manson. The play explores the complicated relationships within the family and broader ethical concerns, especially with church matters, the arrival of the Bishop of Benares, and the return of the vicar's estranged brother, Robert. The drama commences by introducing the characters as they prepare for breakfast, showing Mary's intrigue with Manson's background and faith, contrasting with the vicar's anxieties about church matters and the arrival of Robert which all contribute to the tension within the family. The interplay of Manson's mysterious aura with the vicar's troubled conscience suggests deeper questions of belief, brotherhood, and the search for atonement that promises to unfold. This start sets the stage for a drama that studies moral quandaries in an intriguing manner, inviting viewers to question the true identities of the characters.