An isolated manor house, a mysterious disappearance and an assortment of odd characters are the primary components of Valley Center Stage’s pre-Halloween production, “Night Must Fall” by Emlyn Williams. What makes this pre-Halloween production magical, though, are the interactions between those characters.

“My favorite scene is when I interrogate Danny,” says actor Michael Murdock, who plays Inspector Belsize in the show. “It is like a chess game. I’m trying to find a weakness or an opening and exploit it. I think it is interesting how the language has naturally fit both the original English dialogue and the American southern – the rhythms and expression translate well between the two.”

Murdock is drawn into the show, set in the home of the hypochondriac Widow Bramson, through his investigation into the disappearance of a young woman from a nearby village. In the manor, Bramson, played by Danette Meline, is a terror to her staff.

“I love her dialogue with Hubert — how she just belittles him to his face, and belittles him to others,” Meline said. “He’s so easy to poke at and he can’t poke back because he’s in her house. I love this character because I get to see life through someone who is so complicated and it is fascinating. I can’t answer why she is that way. It’s not an easy role to play.”

The character of Danny, played by Isaiah James, seems to tie all the others together.

“Mrs. Bramson’s happiest moment is in (act three),” Meline continued. “She loves Danny like a son, not that she would show it, but it’s a nice surprise to her to discover she loves someone.

For his own favorite scene, James chooses a moment of revealing in the third act, “when Olivia finds out who I am under the charm and I talk about the eyes that stare down. I feel it has the strongest connection to the character of Danny.”

The play is directed by Wynter and Brenden Elwood.

Performances are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. starting Friday, Oct. 14, and running through the next two weekends, including Thursdays, Oct. 14 to 29. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. A Sunday matinee will also be performed, 2 p.m. Oct. 23; doors open at 1:30 p.m. All shows are at Valley Center Stage, 119 W. North Bend Way, North Bend.

Tickets are $17.50 for adults, $14 for students and seniors. Order tickets online at http://valleycenterstage.org.