AND THEN THERE WERE NONE: Agatha Christie booking till 22 Nov
Touring.
AND THEN THERE WERE NONE: Agatha Christie.
Runs: 2hrs. Interval: 20 mins. Box office 01782 717962. Runs until Saturday 16th February 2008 and then on tour
Touring details below: book on-line www.kenwright.com (booking till 22 November 2008)
Review: Ranjit Khutan Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton, Monday 11th February 2008.
Contrived but keeps you gripped.
Eight guests arrive to attend a party on a remote island off the Devon coast. They are welcomed by the butler and his wife (the cook for the evening) – their hosts have been otherwise detained. None know each other and quickly question why they have been invited, but as the evening progresses it is the chilling voice on a recording that informs them of the real reasons behind their hosts’ kind invitation. What ensues is a tension packed classically structured drama that Christie is so well known for.
Simon Scullion’s set is beautiful and stylish – art deco interiors and sepia brown tones used throughout give the play an aged air in keeping with the era in which it is set. This clever use of one main colour gently draws the audience into the actions that take place in one room, of the only house on this solitary island. As the characters are subtly relaxed by the surroundings so are the audience; however, the wood panelling soon becomes reminiscent of a court room in which the characters’ morality and past actions are questioned leading to judgements to be made which eventually lead them to fight for their own survival.
The structure seems predictable and the plot may appear to be straight forward and transparent to audiences of today – 10 characters killed off one by one leaving the audience to guess “whodunit” – the only clue being the mysterious poem “Ten Little Soldier Boys” above the fire. But in Christie’s day this was a relatively new format that audiences of today are so used to as it permeates all manner of modern productions and TV formats.
Director Joe Harmston successfully uses the space by engaging the actors in movement and enhanced emotion to prevent the play from becoming stagnant. The actors delight in hamming up their roles as brash young men, haughty business men and damsels in distress - to name but a few - but the death scenes are particularly funny.
Christie's characters banally inform us about what they are thinking, what has just happened and what is about to happen – but the intrigue and cleverly contrived plot keeps audiences gripped and questioning “whodunit” until the very end.
Rogers: Gary Richards.
Narracot: Michael Gabe.
Mrs Rogers: Doris Zajer.
Vera Claythorne: Chloe Newsome.
Captain Philip Lombard: Alex Ferns.
Anthony Marston: Bob Saul.
William Blore: Denis Lill.
General John Mackenzie: Peter Byrne.
Emily Brent: Jennifer Wilson.
Sir Lawrence Wargrave: Gerald Harper.
Dr Edward Armstrong: Mark Wynter.
Director: Joe Harmston.
Designer: Simon Scullion.
Lighting: Mark Howett.
Sound: Ian Horrocks-Taylor.
Costume: Brigid Guy.
2008-02-14 16:17:35