This adaptation of Agatha Christie’s most popular novel is thrilling and gripping in equal measures, making the audience guess right until the very end about the way in which a series of very clever murders were carried out.
The audience (and the unfortunate victims) are taken to an island, where an unknown host invites them to stay in their house for a few days and for various reasons. But soon it becomes clear that a more sinister and dangerous motive for them being on the island is the real excuse for them being on the island and one by one each of the 10 guests begin to disappear mysteriously…
It is a clever plot and has plenty of twists and turns which is why when Agatha Christie wrote it it required her to use “a difficult technique which was a challenge and so I enjoyed it, and I think I dealt with it satisfactorily.”
Directed by Joe Harmston, the production moves from a light hearted dinner party to tension and suspicion among the guests with complete ease and in a way that would have pleased the author herself.
However, although the plot is cleverly executed throughout, it feels as though there is more talking rather than action most of the time (excluding the murders) and it can be a bit wearisome to constantly hear the characters constantly accusing each other. But it can be seen that this also adds to the tension and the growing nervousness between the characters – which leads the audience to believe different stories at different times.
The cast which includes Neil Stacy, Deborah Grant and Colin Buchanan, give very natural performances and their is a great chemistry between them all, allowing their characters to bounce off one another effectively.
Designed by Simon Scullion, the art deco inspired set was exquisite and an appropriate setting for several of the murders to take place – matching style with practicality. This stylish set was more than matched by the lovely costumes designed by Roberto Surace that really capture the individual styles of the characters perfectly.
Overall, it is a wonderfully tense thriller that really captures the spirit of Agatha Christie’s work and is certainly a must see show as the 125th anniversary of the Queen of Crime’s birth approaches on the 15th September. It really would be a crime to miss it!
Catch And Then There Were None at the New Victoria Theatre in Woking until the 5th September. It will then be heading to Swansea, Torquay and Ipswich. For a full list of tour details visit: http://www.kenwright.com/index.php?id=1452 .
*On a side note here is a trailer for the 1974 film version of the novel. A more up-to-date version is being filmed by the BBC at the moment as part of the 125th anniversary celebrations of Christie’s birth.*