And Then There Were None is based upon the Agatha Christie novel of 1939 – the best-selling mystery book of all time. It has sold over 100 million copies and was recently listed as the sixth best-selling title in the world. That’s quite some pedigree! As a result, there have been numerous adaptations for stage and screen over the years and in fact Dame Agatha adapted it for the stage herself way back in 1943 (although she made a number of changes to the story in order to make it more palatable for the theatre audience of her day). This new production directed by Lucy Bailey promises to return to the original masterpiece in all its horrifying glory.
The plot centres around ten total strangers being summoned to a small, isolated island somewhere off the coast of Devon by a Mr and Mrs U.N. Owen. None of the guests know why they have been invited or who their esteemed hosts are. Upon arrival, they find themselves cut off from the outside world by a frightful storm and thus incarcerated in the eerie mansion. Very soon, the true reason for their presence becomes apparent as one by one, each guest is sent to meet their maker in a series of grizzly murders. The only clue as to what is going on lies in an old nursery rhyme – ‘The Ten Little Soldiers’ which just so happens to be hanging on the wall of every guest’s room. Our job as an audience is to join the remaining guests in ascertaining who the killer is before there is literally no one left. It is said that even Christie herself considered the plot to be ‘near-impossible’ to navigate and she was forced to spend considerable time meticulously planning and rethinking chapters. So, no pressure on us as an audience then!
The first thing to note is that the set by Mike Britton is exquisite. The stage space is utilised extremely well, and the scenery is visually powerful and suitably Art-Deco decadent. This transports us to the island abode and the era and lulls us into a false sense of security from the off. The background sound scape by Elizabeth Purnell is ominously ever present – waves crashing against rocks and seagulls squawking in the distance. This serves to emphasise the isolation of the location.
The set assists with the storytelling too, allowing for characters to come to the fore to reveal their stories and also to be in the background, observable further upstage. A gauze is used very cleverly to isolate parts of the stage and focus our attention on each player one at a time. The lighting by Chris Davey is perfect and sets the emotional tone throughout.
As you might expect, this is a large ensemble cast and there are some stellar performances. David Yelland is absolutely pitch perfect as the esteemed and steely retired Judge Wargrave. He draws all eyes to him with every utterance and is completely believable as a reassuring presence and natural leader of the group.
Sophie Walter as Vera Claythorne is splendid throughout as the strong willed and yet at times hysterical former governess. Walter gives a particularly powerful performance during the harrowing scenes in Act Two. Her frisson of romantic tension with Captain Lombard (Joseph Beattie) is well played. Beattie has excellent stage presence and invests Lombard with an endearing charm and a chivalrous persona.
Katy Stephens plays Emily Brent and is a personal favourite of mine – she delivers an eccentric, larger than life character (the sort that we have come to expect from Agatha Christie) who brings real wit to her scenes. Lucy Tregear portrays Butler Rogers with great archness and to wonderful comic effect. In contrast, Nicola May Taylor plays Jane Pinchbeck the cook with gentle nervy simplicity.
Andrew Lancel is very believable as William Blore, the former policeman on a short fuse but with a gallows sense of humour that cuts through the tension. He is superb at portraying the sense of panic as the action escalates. This juxtaposes well with the resigned General MacKenzie (Jeffrey Kissoon) who is vulnerable as much as he is world weary. Bob Barret gives us a very trusting and at times downright timid Dr Armstrong and Oliver Clayton a very playful and boyish Anthony Marston.
This is an excellent team of players who really know how to get the best from each other and each and every scene is a masterclass.
Direction by Lucy Bailey is very good indeed. There are inevitably a lot of characters on stage at any one time and it would be easy to lose track of what is happening and who is who. However, with clear direction and excellent stagecraft, our focus is always exactly where it needs to be and the piece never feels distracting or overly busy. There is particularly clever use of flashback to allow us to see the backstory for each character. This is a great device and is used sparingly so never feels artificial or contrived.
So, whodunnit? Well, suffice to say there are many twists and turns, plenty of red herrings, and if you’re a fan of thrilling mystery then you’ll love this production of a timeless classic. Book your stay on Soldier Island and catch all the answers to the puzzle at the Theatre Royal in Nottingham until 27th January 2024.
