| Opening Night | |
|---|---|
1st edition |
|
| Author(s) | Ngaio Marsh |
| Language | English |
| Series | Roderick Alleyn |
| Genre(s) | Detective fiction |
| Publisher | Collins |
| Publication date | 1951 |
| Media type | Print () |
| Preceded by | Swing Brother Swing |
| Followed by | Spinsters in Jeopardy |
Opening Night is a detective novel by Ngaio Marsh; it is the sixteenth novel to feature Roderick Alleyn, and was first published in 1951. It was published in the United states as Night at the Vulcan.
The novel is one of the theatrical ones for which Marsh was best known, and concerns the murder of an actor backstage on opening night of a new play in London. The play is being performed at the Vulcan Theatre; it was formerly known as the Jupiter Theatre, renamed after an infamous murder recounted in the Alleyn short story "Murder on the Air".
Martyn Tarne, a young and inexperienced actress from New Zealand, finds herself involved in a play where her own heredity plays a significant role in a minor part. As the understudy for a minor role, Martyn is caught up when Inspector Roderick Alleyn begins investigating the murder he has witnessed.