And Then There Were None UK Tour (photo Manuel Harlan)
And Then There Were None. The Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham.
This piece was originally a 1939 novel by the queen of the murder-mystery – Agatha Christie. It went on to become the best selling crime novel of all time. In 1943 Christie herself adapted it into a stage play. Here we have the latest version as part of a huge UK tour.
The story begins when eight guests arrive at an isolated mansion located on an island off the coast of Devon, and are tended to by two staff. During the first evening a gramophone recording accuses all ten people of past crimes that went unpunished by the law. Soon they start dying one at a time, and the remaining guests deduce that the murderer is one of the ten there.
As one would expect of Christie, the piece is exceptionally crafted (she herself considered it to be her best piece of craftsmanship). The story unravels like the ball of wool that one of the characters loses during the play. We get to learn about each of the characters – usually just before they are duly bumped off. But who is doing it? You won’t get your answer til right at the end (after some obligatory red herrings of course!).
As you would expect given the situation, paranoia is rife, and in really peaks in the final few scenes which are so tense the audience are on the edge of their seats.
The staging is exquisite. Managing to keep us in the confines of one room in the mansion, as well as the sweeping beach, all with use of flowing drapes. The whole piece is beautifully stylised. The acting is EXCEPTIONAL. Even character is fully realised and fully believable. They are all so in the moment and completely draw you in to the story.
This is a slick, stylish thriller and drama at its best. It doesn’t get better than this.
5 stars. No one does it better that Christie.
