If this was the first time I was learning about Jack the Ripper and if the existence of serial killers wasn’t part of my social consciousness, I may have had a different experience of this play. 

But we all know the story. Whitechapel Productions’ rendition may have been historically accurate, but it was also dry and largely lifeless. There is so much potential to explore the full range of human experience in this mysterious tale and perhaps my expectations were high but all I saw was a bunch of safe choices on that stage. Even the murder scenes...