And Then There Were None

I must admit that I love an Agatha Christie and was looking forward to following the twists and turns of the plot tonight. It was great to see that front of house had taken the time to dress appropriately in period clothing and that their health and safety announcement was clearly delivered; the Brexit comment was appreciated by the large audience.

Agatha Christie is a master of the whodunit, she wrote her bestselling novel under a different title in 1939 and adapted it for the stage in 1943. It is a much-loved tale which has been performed on stage and screen many times. 

In the late 1930s the eight guests, previously unknown to each other, arrive on the small isolated Soldier Island off the coast of Devon. Each receive an invitation tailored to their circumstances. They are met by the butler and housekeeper, Thomas and Ethel Rogers, who state that their hosts Mr and Mrs U.N. Owen have not arrived but left instructions.  All of a sudden, a voice rings out and reveals that there is incriminating evidence about each and every person and that each of them had committed a crime which went unpunished and justice is at hand.  The rhyme ‘Ten Little Soldiers’, displayed above the fireplace, and the figures positioned on the table, prove to be inherent to the murders.

The plot thickens and, as the intricate story unfolds, the biggest mystery of all is who on earth can this effective murderer be? There is no one else on the island, so it must be one of them, but which one?

I have to be honest I have watched this drama before, so had a peripheral eye constantly watching the soldier figures on the table, knowing that one would suspiciously disappear after each death.  I would have had no idea how this was achieved in this production if soldier boy eight hadn’t fallen loudly. I must admit though the way they were dispatched was very clever; I wonder how many hours the young lady had spent under the table during this production?

The set was exceptional. There was real attention to detail in the room with a very realistic fireplace and a mixture of period furniture and props, although I did think the cases appeared a little light, either that or the butler was extremely strong! The use of thrust stage for the table, reached by two sets of steps, was a good use of space allowing more floor space for the actors to use and an eerie conclusion at the end. The French doors at the back of the stage opened out on to a terrace and the backcloth on the back wall provided the necessary seascape. The cast made good use of the three doorways and the drinks trolley.

Hair and make-up were all good and the costumes appeared to be, on the whole, carefully sourced and worn appropriately for the character played. The doctor’s trousers, although colour-matched to his jacket, looked too modern. I did notice that Rogers and Lombard were wet when they came in from outside, a touch many would not have bothered to do. 

The lighting was used to a good effect. The victims were picked out with a flickering spotlight when their crime was discussed and I thought the use of an appropriate sound relating to their victim an excellent touch.

The sound system was well used throughout the production. Offstage sounds were consistent as the plot developed and appropriate coastal sound effects were used relating to weather conditions and bird calls, although it is very important to hear all the text in this wordy play and sometimes the wind was so loud, I couldn’t hear the dialogue.

There was strong direction from Nicholas Vale he brought out all the nuances and facets of each individual character, they were all very different and successfully interacted with each other. Their positioning and movement on stage was measured and for the majority of the play correct, that said, on occasions actors were masking each other at the drinks trolley and upstaged each other.

It would be difficult to go through each individual character without repeating myself, as they were a strong cast.  Their diction was clear, which is necessary in a complex wordy tome like this. There really was not a weak link amongst them and I congratulate them all on very fine performances.  I would just like to mention the powerful, controlled interaction between Justice Wargrave and Vera Claythorne in the final scene. She brilliantly portrayed her character as she fell apart under his quiet, influential, authoritative manner and was unable to resist as she climbed to her death. Congratulations to them both.

All in all, this was a really excellent production with a very talented cast and equally talented production team.  Thank you so much for a brilliant evening’s entertainment.

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