And Then There Were None

This Agatha Christie play is a masterclass of the whodunit. Set in an isolated manor surrounded by stretches of sea and sheer cliff faces, this murder mystery is awash with action where scene after scene brims with tension.

Without giving too much away, a gramophone recording reveals incriminating evidence to nine unknowing party guests, bringing to light the dark pasts of various characters. Needless to say, the body count slowly begins to rise and they soon begin to realise that the passing hours could be their last upon discovering that the murders are following suit of an old riddle which is printed and framed above the fireplace.

The plot twists and turns with its carefully laid red herrings leaving you hooked. The cast are successfully ambiguous and certainly provoke some heated interval discussion as to who is the culprit.

I wished I hadn’t seen the play before, or watched it on TV over Christmas, but the fun still remains when knowing the outcome as one can look deeper for subtle clues pointing us in the right or wrong direction (which don’t seem so subtle once you know) but also thinking on a number of occasions, how could I have missed that!?

On typical form, Christie flits between dramatic deaths and light-hearted wit which this production draws out remarkably well.

Spinster Emily Brent and resourceful secretary Vera Claythorne offered two standout performances of the evening played by Justine Boardman and April Grime respectively. The daggers between the two were relished and both, April especially, demonstrated fine craft as actresses offering two organic and beautifully delivered acts throughout.   

The art deco style of this production tips its hat to the original release date of Christie’s novel on which this play is based, the cast were decked in an assortment of 1930s fashion capturing both the time period and the personalities of each character whilst being surrounded by a set which suggests an inspiration of the architecture and interior design of the time. Although this was another triumph for the PADOS workshop, as per, the degree of magnolia across the set posed as relatively insipid and diluted the attempt of grandeur, something darker and eerier would have aided to communicate the ambiance of the play.

With a peripheral eye constantly watching the soldier figures on the fireplace, knowing that one will suspiciously disappear after each death, I was impressed with how I never noticed a single one being removed, much to my frustration I’m not shy to admit. One moment which did excite me was when there was a struggle in the final scene with just three characters remaining, the slamming of a door caused one of the figurines to shake and then fall off the fireplace, which instantly intensified the scene to new heights wonderfully predicting the next death which was just moments away. Every member of the audience, the three remaining actors included, watched the figure fall, gasped then continued with the action – transfixing all of us in delightful horror wondering who is going to die next. A beautifully timed accident which no amount of rehearsals could have perfected.

Sound effects and ambient tracks were fitting and added to the theatrical illusion though many of them ended abruptly, before the effect had its chance to conclude. I wasn’t too keen on the dramatic chords at cliff hanger moments or whenever something of significance was brought to light, I’d argue that it belittled the sophistication of this masterpiece and I’d go as far to say it cheapened the affair.   

Bob Hopkinson does an admirable job of breathing life into probably the least distinctive of Christie’s characters though a few memory lapses did cause the occasional distressed moment.

I sensed that this troupe, as an ensemble, needed the comfort blanket of its prompt though I cannot ignore the distraction of her torch wafting about on the front row during a play which endures so many dark scenes.

David Livesey and Simon Fletcher both put in admirable performances though I’d have preferred a more casual and relaxed rendition from these chaps who often portrayed as a little overcooked for such an intimate space, this is only a fine-tuning observation and not to be taken as though I didn’t enjoy their portrayals which couldn’t be further from the truth.  

Chris Ainsworth has a special challenge portraying the aged general descending into dementia, I’m not so familiar with the play to know whether he was paraphrasing or not, however, I liked what he was doing – I honour actors who can make it difficult to believe that the words they utter were ever written down and Chris did so with aplomb. Emily Mount’s Mrs. Rogers isn’t quite the “nervous looking creature” she should be, but still provides a nice addition to the cast.

I think congratulations is in order to the crew and cast for a recovery of an incident. During one of the deaths (no that’s not the incident I’m referring to), a glass was accidently knocked over and smashed stage centre and I think I’m right in assuming that the interval was brought forward to the next blackout. I did think that the interval was a tad early at the time, only because I’d seen the play before, but thought no more of it. Then, in what was now Act II – we ran through what seemed to be the obvious point for an interval which, I must say, if my suspicions are correct, this was excellent work from the crew and, well, everyone for covering this up to seamlessly.

Director Brian Seymour has constructed a fine troupe of actors in this almost perfectly cast production. Clearly a fan of Lady Christie, honouring her creation and ensuring justice is delivered for the most part. Perhaps some moments were over-egged a little, and I only mean a little, not enough to throw the action off balance but this could be a result of the theatres intimacy which often requires such subtlety from its players to prevent an over exaggerated moment.

Overall, this is a very well executed and immensely enjoyable production. For a good murder-mystery, it’s hard to beat Agatha Christie, the still-reigning queen of the genre.

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