The crusty Christie is back, and this time…she’s ….well the same thing she always is.  It’s Agatha Christie, a favorite of high schools and Little Theaters everywhere.  You already know the story, a few people, stuck somewhere, get bumped off one by one until the person you least suspect for doing it is caught.  Admittedly this is not one of my favorite types of theater so I have to ask myself why is this show still running in London?  Perhaps getting there is half the fun…I mean, you do have to figure out whodunit.  So you’d better pay attention, because the clues are hard to catch from this cast at the Little Theatre of Norfolk. 

Carol Wright helms this production and makes some interesting, if not always successful, artistic choices in the show.  Several of her cast members are quite young for their parts, but are aged with make-up.  British accents are present when convenient but seem to leave when things become emotional.    Some characters didn’t even have any, and in speaking with the best sounding one I learned his was real.  Music fades in and out during crucial moments, creating more of a distraction than suspense.  Even some personalities are modified from the script.  All of these choices are inconsistently successful, when a bit more polish could have really taken things up a notch. 

Mollie and Giles Ralston are a young couple who are opening a boarding house and about to celebrate their one year anniversary.  A murder in near-ish London and excessive snow trap them and their eccentric (of course) guests in the house on the first night they open shop. 

Kathy Hinson is capable as Mollie, a stable and confident young woman concerned about her new venture.  It would be easy to make her the silly frilly girl, but Hinson wisely avoids this route.  She holds the cast together well and is an effective foil to their eccentricities.  Mark Reid’s Giles is much put upon, and Reid seems uncertain of his physical character, often posing in corners or assuming odd stances.  He has good energy but his blocking at times does not seem to help him find motivation for his actions. 

Kim Breeding tackles the fun part of Mrs. Boyle.  The connotation of that name suits her dour, sour, and otherwise mean personality.  We like to watch her get abuse from the other cast members.  Breeding has a solid physical and vocal character, impressive that younger performer can successfully portray an older one.

Brendan Hoyle’s Christopher Wren is a very excitable young fellow.  The “struggling architect” is the most interesting to watch, as he has more energy than anyone else.  Were it not for Hoyle’s eccentric humor, the show would drag quite a bit.  But even his outbursts at times seem a bit forced.

Michael Mellion, as Major Metcalf, doesn’t have very much to do, but what he does have comes off as very natural and sincere.  Lisa Ann Matthews tends to catch the giggles, and doesn’t really capture the mannish qualities her character calls for.  She is a good listener, but tends to use facial expressions to project all her choices when it is not needed.  Mr. Paravicini, played by Tony Mercer is fortunate enough to be able to play a shifting accent for his character.  Mercer tends to underplay the strangeness of his character, who could and should be as strangely energetic as Hoyle’s.  Lastly, Scott Rollins plays Trotter, the Police Detective sent to interview the household.  Rollins pushes the story along, but never really seems to buy it himself.   His detective lacks the passion for solving the crime, but plays lip service to his role. 

Wright’s direction does not take advantage of a Christie plot.

Maria Domenech’s set design is simple but effective, I would like to have seen the set dressed, distressed, and more “lived in” to give Ms. Boyle a bit more to be disdainful about.  David Burton’s costumes are quite lovely and fit the actors nicely.  These clothes do look made for these folks, instead of thrift store pick ups.  Ken Walker’s lights are basic, and function well enough, though there was one green spot down left that baffled me. 

The major technical accomplishment is the snow outside the upstage window.  When the curtain rises, the lighting and set design nicely draw the audience to the snow outside, hinting at the fun to come as the mice head into this trap.  Again you know what to expect with a Christie show, and this production delivers it, though without as much gusto as there could have been.