Agatha Christie Theatre Company: And Then There Were None
Milton Keynes Theatre 20th July - 25th July 2015
Agatha Christie’s fabulous classic and most successful work And Then There Were None staged by Bill Kenwright, has arrived at Milton Keynes Theatre – it is masterful, slick and true to the 1939 novel.
With stage productions you obviously lose the lavish
location settings, wonderful vintage cars and breath taking scenery you come to
expect and love with an Agatha Christie movie, however Simon Scullion’s set
looks aesthetically beautiful with marvelous Art Deco styling.
The enormous circular framed window sits centre stage
showing the only view of the outside world for the ten strangers invited for a
weekend away by the mysterious Mr and Mrs Owens.
The ten guests find themselves thrown together on a remote
island off the southern coast of England, all brought together for the same
sinister reason – finding out that they all have dark secrets.
In typical Christie style with twists and turns in the plot,
the audience is left to the very end to know just who did do it! The ten “guests” are greeted by the house
keeper Ethel and butler Rogers who seemingly have only just been employed by
the owner of the house, they arrive one by one until they are all together in the
large drawing room.
A voice eerily speaks to them all from the shadows, introducing
each and every person one by one with a chilling secret – that they have all
had a hand in another’s death, murderers one and all!
There are wonderful performances from the whole cast – Paul
Nicholas is simply superb as the elderly and distinguished magistrate Sir
Lawrence Wargrave, Fraser Hines does well as a solemn Rogers. Mark Curry is totally believable in his role
as Doctor Armstrong while Susan Penhaligon is fantastic as Emily Brent, preaching
to a glamorous young Vera Claythorne (Verity Rushworth) on the immorality of
the young.
Colin Buchanan as William Blore, Eric Carte and Ben Nealon
as General Mackenzie and Philip Lombard respectively give well rounded
character portrayals. Judith Rae and Paul Hassall make early exits but they too
are totally convincing in their roles as the forthright housekeeper Ethel
Rogers and the “wizard” Anthony Marston.
The ten gradually are whittled down one by one as each guest
suffers a gruesome death. They come to
realise that a childhood rhyme that hangs over the imposing mantelpiece and the
“Ten Little Soldier Boys” that stand on there has some macabre significance.
Each death is exactly like the rhyme describes…but if they
are all to die, who is the killer? Is there another person hiding somewhere on the
island??
Despite my best intentions I could not spot the reduction of
the soldier’s numbers diminishing during the play, with the action cleverly
drawing your eyes away. The creeping suspense
throughout is brilliantly done and there is more than one genuine jump out of
your skin moments!
The paranoia sets in as the last guests look at each other
wondering which one will be the last survivor, the last little soldier…or
not?!?
Totally brilliant and a must see production.
Enjoy!
Lily B X
