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Stars explained: * A production of no real merit
with failings in all areas. ** A production showing evidence of not
enough time or effort, or even talent, and which never breathes any real
life into the piece – or a show lumbered with a terrible script. *** A
good enjoyable show which might have some small flaws but has largely
achieved what it set out to do.**** An excellent show which shows a
great deal of work and stage craft with no noticeable or major
flaws.***** A four star show which has found that extra bit of magic
which lifts theatre to another plane. |
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Pictures: Emily White And Then There Were None Highbury Theatre Centre **** Why anyone would turn up to a house party on an isolated island off the Devon coast, on an invite from a couple you not only didn't know, but had never heard of is a complete mystery – but that is the first of many mysteries. . . ten to be exact in this lovely telling of Agatha Christie's celebrated thriller of murder by nursery rhyme. The rhyme, which started as a 19th century minstrel song, has lost its racist overtones over the years and become ten little soldier boys. Their description might have changed but their fate hasn’t as the rhyme becomes a blueprint for murder, a sort of homicidal version of painting by numbers. One by one they arrive on Soldier Island by boat, the only means of access, dropped off by Fred, the boatman, played by Andrew Leigh-Dugmore. From the boat it is a steep climb up to the stunning mansion with its many bedrooms overlooking the sea, and what a motley lot they are, arriving for a house party in the dying embers of the pre-war years, not knowing the hosts or any of the other guests, lured there by . . . who knows. And then as they arrive to be greeted by the staff, Rogers and his wife, Ethel, the cook, they are told their hosts, Mr and Mrs U N Owen had been delayed and would not arrive until the following day. Questioning the staff on any details proved to be useless, as Thomas Rogers, the calm and collected Butler, played by Ron Parker, and his nervous and panicky wife, played by Ziona Smith, like the guests, had never met the Owens, and had been employed less than a week ago through an agency.
Isobel Clinton as Vera Claythorne and Nick Morris as Capt Lombard The couple had a history of working in service together and had that easy tooing and froing of long-standing marriage . . . although Thomas did show flashes of temper with his wife at times. First of the guests was Vera Claythorne, played with the calm efficiency you would expect from a secretary by Isobel Clinton. An ex-governess, she had changed to secretarial work and, like the Rogers, had never met her employers having been recruited, like the Rogers, through an agency. She arrived with Philip Lombard, a Captain, adventurer, soldier of fortune, with a sort of moral ambiguity in the hands of Nick Morris. He is making a play for Vera with outrageous flirting, but we are to discover he is perhaps not the colonial bounder typical of the era we thought he was. He is there on some vague request by the Owens who had heard of his reputation for dealing with tight spots to come along as security. And what else would a bored adventurer do? Ben White bounces in as Anthony Marston, a gay young thing drowning in inflated self-importance with a penchant for fast cars and even faster driving. Thoroughly dislikable and only there because his best chum had told him to meet him there, and his best chum was not even invited. Ah, well, spiffing place though, isn't it, what! His fast driving had not gone down well with Dr Armstrong, the teetotal, highly respected nerve specialist, there in a professional capacity, although Sean Mulkeen gives the good doctor an air of nervousness and insecurity that perhaps needs its own medical attention.
Ken Agnew as Judge Wargrave, seated, with Nathan McNaught as William Blore, Sean Mulkeen as Dr Armstrong and Robyn Christoffels as Emily Brent Also there professionally is William Blore, ex CID, and in disguise in the shape of Nathan McNaught, there to keep an eye on things, the things never being specified but, as with Armstrong, the fee was good even if the detail wasn’t. General Mackenzie, played by Patrick Mangan, is the saddest guest, invited by someone he thought he knew at the club, he has signs of dementia and his monologue about his past and lost love as memory awakens is quite moving. Robyn Christoffel's past as Emily Brent is less so. She is not so much a Christian fundamentalist as a morality stormtrooper. She came for a free holiday in a Christian and Bible heavy B&B with definitely no sex, swearing, bathing suits, or anything approaching fun. A real bundle of laughs. Which leaves us with Sir Lawrence Wargrave, retired high court judge who had a penchant for black cap verdicts. It is a well nuanced performance from Ken Agnew as the analytical, logical leader as our increasingly unhappy band face the reality of their situation. He takes charge, directing the guests, exercising the power he always demanded in his court. So here we are, a butler, a cook and eight guests stranded on an island, each with a past we have yet to discover, an episode which links them all and for which payment is due all exploding into terror and suspicion as the gay house party descends nightmare territory . . . well the clue is in the nursery rhyme which ends with the play's title, and then there were none . . . . How we get there is the intriguing part, from that one dramatic moment when the party changes from social to survival, when everyone becomes both the potential killer or a potential victim with accusations, recriminations, protestations all of no avail, as justice or revenge or maybe just a plain old psychotic murderer haunts our 10 little soldiers. Emily White on her directorial debut has done a fine job of building the tension and has kept closer to the original 1939 book ending, with perhaps a technical variation, rather than using the relatively more hopeful and happier ending for a wartime audience weary of death when the novel was adapted for the stage in 1943. The fine cast do an excellent job in defining their characters and bringing them to life well as tensions rise on a functional set from the director and Malcolm Robertshaw, with a chequerboard floor which perhaps reflects the chequered history of the play as far as its name is concerned. Andrew Noaks' lighting provides us with everything from lightning to candles while Richard Irons provides a sound stage which takes us to sea and through a storm without downing us in howling winds and crashing waves. The bAalance is just right. This is classic Christie and classic murder mystery which will leave you guessing whodunnit to the end, ten suspects, ten victims . . . so, take your pick. The soldiers will be falling out to 27-09-25 Roger Clarke 17-09-25 |
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