And Then There Were None

And Then There Were None brings Agatha Christie’s brilliantly plotted murder mystery, directed by Robyn Nevin, to Her Majesty’s. Cited by Christie herself as being ‘ if not her best play [being] her best piece of craftsmanship’.

The plot is indeed intricate and intriguing. Ten people are lured to a remote island, two with the offer of work and eight with the promise of a wonderful weekend party. As the disparate group arrives it becomes clear that none of them knew their so called host and hostess, who  were not to arrive until the following day, nor did they know each other. As the group  begins to feel the way to some sort of cohesion as guests, their attention is drawn to a nursery rhyme framed on the wall. 

The Ten Little Soldier Boys, one by one, meet a bad end.  Following this a recorded voice citing alleged crimes committed by each one of them compounds their sense of discomfort, as all but one, asserts his or her innocence. At the end of Act One  Anthony Masterton (Jack Bannister) falls dead, at their feet and their situation is now no longer regarded as a practical joke in poor taste, but a very bad joke indeed.

In Act Two the action becomes menacing, as the deaths continue and the little toy soldier boys on the table are eliminated. As each death mirrors the rhyme the remaining guests and the servants grow more uneasy and suspicious of each other. A search of the house and the island has shown there is no  murderer lurking.

Tension grows as a storm rages, the lights fail and those who remain sit clutching candles viewing each other with growing hostility. One of them is a murderer, but which one? 

This is a play which reflects the 1939 world of Agatha Christie, and thus is a step back in time. The people, disparate group as they are, are still British, ranging from the Senior Judge  Sir Lawrence Wargrave (Anthony Phelan) to the ex police sergeant Wiliam Blore (Peter O’Brien) with the prim moralistic  spinster Emily Brent (Jennifer Flowers) and the more modern  young woman Miss Mia Morrissey (Vera Clayborne). Anthony Marston and Philip Lombard (Tom Stokes) both portray that particularly self satisfied young male, who is so irritating while Dr.Armstrong (Eden Falk) and General Mackenzie (Nicholas Hammond) reveal two men whose past mistakes have shattered their sense of confidence and well-being. Mr and Mrs Rogers, the servants, (Grant Piro and Christen O’Leary) dash about, knowing their place. 

Put these people in a stage set in which the idea of a well-to-do house placed on an idyllic island is cleverly established and you have the makings of a very satisfactory ‘whodunnit’.

The suspense is sustained until the final moments, and until ‘there were none’.

If you like a good, honest, excellently acted and directed drama which will keep you guessing until the conclusion,  then Then There Were None is your cup of tea.

Her Majesty’s Theatre  August 5-16   

Image Jeff Busby