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And Then There Were None
Derby Theatre
**** THE history of this Agatha Christie
mystery story, ranked by many to be amongst her best, is a fascinating
one. It was first published in the United Kingdom by
the Collins Crime Club on 6 November 1939 after the British blackface
song, which serves as a pivotal plot point. The U.S. edition was
not released until December 1939 with the title changed to the last five
words in the original American version of the nursery rhyme:
And Then There Were None.
It is Christie’s best-selling novel with more
than 100 million copies sold, also making it the world’s best-selling
mystery, and one of the best-selling books of all time. It was adapted for the stage by Christie in 1943,
but playing to wartime houses the end was changed to be less dark in
those troubled times. Director Joe Harmston has restored the original
ending as written in the novel, in keeping with the traditional approach
which is a hallmark of this Bill Kenwright production, whose credentials
are gold plated. The plotting, and scenario, have been reprised by
many subsequent authors. Ten people are brought on to an island under
different pretexts from which there is no immediate prospect of escape.
One by one, all ten die. Of course nothing is as it seems as the story
twists and turns leaving the audience down blind alleys and whiffing red
herrings before its memorable denouement. Those who enjoy the
television series Downton Abbey
will enjoy this. The story is wordy, the acting restrained, the manners
of the age adding to the dramatic tension, masterfully deployed by
director Harmston, whose production, costume and single Art Deco set,
the latter the work of Simon Scullion, is faithful to Christie, and the
era, 1939. Inevitably the first act labours a little under the demands
of setting the scene before the explosive second and third acts, which
allow for two intervals. Special mention should be made of Matthew
Bugg’s atmospheric sound which greatly adds to the ambience and drama of
the evening, Ben Nealon, entertains
as the carefree, womanising Captain Lombard. Paul Nicholas as judge Sir
Lawrence Wargrave, coasts along, stepping up a gear just when required.
Deborah Grant revels in her role as the acid tongued and occasionally
malevolent Emily Brent, Kezia Burrows sashays and shimmies as a
secretary with a stunning, revealing, backless evening gown, but with a
secret of her own to hide. However Mark Wynter, sixties popstar with
Venus in Blue Jeans, It’s Almost
Tomorrow and
Go Away little Girl to his credit,
stood out for me as the mysterious Doctor Armstrong, sinister and
compelling. The Agatha Christie Theatre Company do an
invaluable job both in keeping such fine writing alive, and making it
accessible to audiences more than seventy five years after it first
appeared. A full house lapped it all up, and there were gasps as the
murderous mastermind was revealed. Christie is the doyenne of murder
mystery and this production does that tradition proud, running until
Saturday 14th November. Gary Longden
09-11-15
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