| And Then There Were None (Agatha Christie at PCT) | | Print | |
| Written by M.J. Garland | |
| Tuesday, 24 October 2006 | |
 Probably one of the greatest mystery stories of all time by the British mystery writer Agatha Christie is now playing at Peninsula Community Theatre. It's a murder mystery that revolves around the events of a nursery rhyme and keeps the audience guessing with really no chance of solving this mystery.
The British mystery writer Agatha Christie began writing mystery stories on a dare from her sister. Her first mystery novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, was published in 1920 and introduced her most famous character, Hercule Poirot. As years passed Agatha Christie went on to become the world’s best-selling writer of mystery novels. The novel And Then There Were None, was written in 1939. It breaks many of the rules of the mystery genre. No detective solves the case, the murderer escapes from the law, and the plot is constructed so that the killer’s identity is nearly impossible to discover. It is ranked as one of Christie’s most acclaimed and popular novel to date.
The plot revolves around eight persons who are invited to Soldier Island off the coast of Devon, England for a weekend. The housekeeper and butler have previously arrived there at the house awaiting their arrivals. That evening when they gather in the drawing room after an excellent dinner, they hear a recorded voice accusing each of them of a specific murder committed in the past and never uncovered. They compare notes and realize that none of them, including the servants, knows their host “Mr. Owen.” They consider and discuss why they were brought here according to someone’s strange plot. As the first person dies according the rhyme, all retreat to bed, riddled by guilt and memories of the crime they are accused of by this unknown individual. The story progresses on with individuals meeting their demise as related and manipulated by the Ten Little Soldiers poem. There is no way off the island and no detective solving the mystery.
This overall is a very solid production with a set to ‘knock your socks’ off when you enter the theatre. It is nice to see a theatre that is willing to leave the curtain open and give us a chance to familiarize ourselves with our surroundings before the play begins. In this case we find ourselves in a British sitting room on “Soldier Island.” This set is elegant and overall well-designed. As the play progresses it must be able to hold the cast of ten on the stage with room to act and move and not trip over each other. There are multiple acting spaces, levels and entrances that structurally make sense if this house were to really exist. We find the room dark with rich wall coloring, mahogany wood and a painted backdrop of the ocean hitting the rocks and cliff below which is just beautiful to look at. There are four scenic artists who must be given credit for such a wonderful set: Ellen Eames, Sandy Brockman, Jessica Nichols, BetteBelle Libke.
The acting in this production fares well but I must say the dialects (with the exception of two performers) do not. I don’t think the dialects missed their mark, I think they were just ignored and thrown out the window into the ocean of “Soldier Island.” But aside from that, the exceptional and most memorable performers in this production are MARK TILLER (William Blore), DANA MARGUILIES (Vera Claythorne), JIM SEWARD (Sir Lawrence Wargrave), and TONY BRACH (Phillip Lombard).
DANA MARGUILIES has an innocence with this character that many may not expect and at the same time lacks some strength that some may hope for in a female lead. She does however have a command of the language found in this play. Her ability to deliver lines in a style found in true British speech with lilts and speed while keeping it understandable is quite a task and accomplished quite well. This may be by chance or this may be by sheer talent.
The cast member who rises above it all is TONY BRACH, who has been seen on many local stages both on the Peninsula and Southside, in both plays but probably more so in musicals. Here Mr. Brach seems to tone down his musical performance abilities and play something with more truth and honesty than you might find in a musical. His dialect is on 98% percent of the time with the occasional slip of the tongue. He offers us an honesty in his character - unlike many who do Christie pieces - trying to deliver in a way to confuse the audience or lean them to think, “he is the guilty one.” Not in this performance, where we see a command of the stage and the character as he attempts to keep the pace moving even when a few other cast members may be trying to slow it down.
Other cast members include: HELEN D’ALFONSO, KATHY DEAN, JONATHAN NICHOLS, DALE PAYNE, PAUL SCHUTTE, and TED WILDE.
Don’t worry PCT I’m not about to give away the ending but audience members who choose to see this production, and I think you would be remiss if you didn’t, here is a little hint to the story and see if you can figure out ‘Who Dun It!”
Ten Little Indians
Ten Little Indians going out to dine; One went and choked his little self and then there were nine.
Nine Little Indian Boys sat up very late; One overslept himself and then there were eight.
Eight Little Indian Boys traveling to Devon; One got left behind and then there were seven.
Seven Little Indian boys went to chop sticks; He chopped himself in half and then there were six.
Six Little Indian boys playing with a hive; A bumblebee stung one and then there were five.
Five Little Indian boys going in for law; One got in chancery and then there were four.
Four Little Indian boys going out to sea; A red herring swallowed one and then there were three.
Three Little Indian boys walking to the zoo; A big bear hugged one and then there were two.
Two Little Indian boys playing with a gun; One shot the other and then there was one.
One little Indian boy left all alone; He went and hanged himself
…and then there were none.
And Then There Were None runs through October 29, 2006. Friday and Saturday at 8:00 P.M. and Sunday at 2:30 P.M. For reservations call 757-595-5728. For more information go to www.peninsulacommunitytheatre.org
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MR. TILLER and JIM SEWARD bring forth a strength and comfort on stage not seen from many local actors. 