The latest thriller at the New Theatre this week is a big play, with a large cast, hugely impressive set and a story which comes with the accolade of being the ‘best selling crime novel of all time‘. So, when AND THEN THERE WERE NONE comes to town, you know you are in for something special.
It’s fair to call Agatha Christie the Queen of cliff-hangers and for a book that was published back in 1939, becoming a stage play four years later, it has lost none of its appeal, and despite the fact I’ve read the book, watched and even been in the play when I was young, it still kept me on the edge of my seat.
That was also the case for much of the audience at yesterdays matinee performance. We were there to get their take on this classic piece of theatre and also meet one of the stars, Holby City favourite BOB BARRETT who plays Doctor Armstrong……
Agatha was 49 when she wrote this story, and although that may seem irrelevant, the complexity and skill in the writing could only have come from an author who knew how to relate to their audience, and that Miss Christie most certainly can.
The plot is actually based around a hundred-year-old children’s counting jingle and according to Agatha herself it was her most challenging book to write. The first version of the play had twelve characters, two more than now, and the order of dying and the endings vary, so you will go into this production with a few surprises and twists – especially if we present this review with no spoilers.
As with most of Agatha Christie’s plays there’s an air of sophistication about them, and this is no exception. It feels, and looks like an old school thriller and that’s exactly how it should be. It’s at times bleak but still incredibly relevant, and at the end of the day, thoroughly entertaining.
I have to start with the set, which is mesmerising. MIKE BRITTON has done a fantastic job in creating a sometimes chaotic stage which mirrors the characters relationships as they slowly break down as the tension increases. The props are great too, and everything you want in a play like this – the flickering chandelier for example, is a must. The sound is equally impressive and ELIZABETH PURNELL has used it to real effect to help raise the tension as the story develops.
Ten guests are invited to a remote Devon mansion, and wouldn’t you just know it, a storm lashes the coast rendering our players cut off from the mainland, which means they’re stuck in the mansion till the weather clears, or they are taken out in a wooden box.
Initially, it seems our ten are all strangers to each other and with the hosts who invited them nowhere to be seen, it’s down to each of them to work out why they are there and if they are in any way linked. I almost feel I need an audible dah, dah, dahhh here.
Slowly, the reason for their coming together becomes clear and as their individual secrets are revealed it’s down to them, and us in the audience, to try and piece together the plot. I didn’t and I’ve read the damn book.
The cast have a tricky job on their hands to take us through a story filled with more twists and turns than a walk around Bute Park, you really need to keep your wits about you as characters come – or more to the point, go, at an alarming rate.
DAVID YELLAND and SOPHIE WALKER turn in a great performance as Judge Wargrave and Vera Claythorne, a former governess and now Secretary. BOB BARRETT is impressive as Doctor Armstrong as is ANDREW LANCEL as the retired policeman William Blore. But this is a company piece and only works if everyone is as good as their counterpart, and the entire cast deliver convincing performances, which they do superbly well.
The two servants, Pinchbeck and Rogers, hired to take care of the guests are played by NICOLA MAY-TAYLOR and LUCY TREGEAR. General Mackenzie (JEFFREY KISSOON), the adventurer Philip Lombard (JOSEPH BEATTIE), Emily Brent, a religious spinster (KATY STEPHENS) and the young man Anthony Marston (OLIVER CLAYTON).
You’ve probably noticed that I’ve not mentioned too much about the whole production, and that’s deliberate. As long as you know it’s classy and classic and the storytelling is first rate, that’s enough for a show like this. Event though it’s and 80 year old story, having very little knowledge before you go into the auditorium really helps with the ‘shock factor‘ when all is revealed.
What I will say is that Director LUCY BAILEY really captures the essence of this somewhat dark and disturbing story. There are moments of humour, which Agatha Christie was always good at, but ultimately we are lead to a dramatic, and I think it’s fair to say, shocking end, in all respects.
AND THEN THERE WERE NONE is at the New Theatre in Cardiff through to Saturday 23rd March. Evening performances are at 7:30pm with a 2:30pm matinee on Saturday. For more details and tickets, go HERE.
Age recommendation 12+ parental guidance.
You can watch our full interview with BOB BARRETT here……
