Verdict

Anyone coming along to Verdict, by Agatha Christie, expecting a ‘whodunnit’ set in a comfortable country house would be in for a surprise, not least because we saw exactly who ‘dunnit’ when the murder took place right in front of us. There are also no detectives exercising their little grey cells, just bumbling police officers inevitably charging the wrong person. It is more of a melodrama examining quite deeply the subjects of loyalty and the human condition, and it felt very un-Agatha all the way through. The play, which premiered in 1958, was written by Christie for the stage and is not based on any of her novels.

Professor Karl Hendry and his wife Anya have fled to Britain from an unspecified (probably Eastern European) country, after helping a friend with unacceptable political views. While Karl has buried himself in his work, Anya, who has an incurable disease, feels resentful and lonely and has often considered ending it all. Anya’s cousin Lisa has moved in to help care for her and has fallen in love with Karl. So too has one of his students, Helen, who ends up murdering Anya to free Karl from the chains of caring for his wife. After Helen is run over and killed, Lisa is charged with murder by the incompetent police Inspector, but is acquitted – the Verdict they spend act 2 waiting for.

We were greeted by a good-looking box set (applause for the Highbury Cowboys), representing the Hendry’s flat in Bloomsbury, and this was used throughout. It was well furnished and dressed. Stage Manager Beryl Buckle managed the scene changes efficiently and Ben White’s lighting and sound effects were excellent. Costumes were well considered and fitted the era (late 1950s) well.

Director Graham Stouse has assembled a good cast with strong leads in John Morris as Karl Hendryk and Georgia Davies as Lisa Koletsky. Both gave the play life and pace and maintained their Eastern European accents well throughout. Georgia was very convincing showing her love for Karl, even before it was declared, while John gave Karl a generally bemused air, but clearly loved his disabled wife. Acting in a wheelchair, unable to move around the stage, is always trickly but Elena Martinez-Blanco easily gained our sympathy for Anya, defeated and weary. Excellent shaky hands – never over-doing it. Roger Mitchell turned in a solid performance as the reliable family doctor, Dr Stoner, and we really felt the naivety of Stuart Dickenson’s young student, Lester Cole, although I was never sure what purpose the character served in the play. Maddie Pitt was convincing as the student – and murderer - Helen Rollander, her love for her professor driving her to the brink of insanity. Paul Burrows cleverly made his two roles significantly different. Pompous and blustering as Helen’s father, Sir William Rollander; bumbling and grasping at any available clues as Inspector Ogden. Cliff Mullins as Sergeant Pearce might not have been on for long, but made his presence felt. Star turn in my book was Trudie Carter as housekeeper Mrs Roper. The cheeky, chatty type who is always popping out to buy tea, which only she drinks, and cigarettes which she steals. She provided some much-needed light relief amongst the deep-delving into the psychology of relationships and moral philosophy.

It is a wordy piece, couched in the language of the time, which can feel a little stilted these days, but diction and projection by all the actors was excellent. However, I felt it would have benefited from a little more pace at times.

While the play might not have been what people were expecting, it seemed to hold the whole audience in its grasp all the way through and there was much appreciative applause at the end. Well done for reaching your 100th production and celebrating the milestone by tackling something a bit different!

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