From BlueRidgeNow.com (the Hendersonville Times-News)
BG--
Agatha Christie mystery at Flat Rock Playhouse is a workout for the mind
By Kitty Turner
Special to the Times-News
Eight guests arrive at a lonely house on an island off the coast of Devon, England, only to be told that their host and hostess will not arrive until the following day.
The butler and housekeeper show the disparate group to their rooms and before dinner they gather for drinks in the lounge. Just as everyone is beginning to relax, a voice rings out and Agatha Christie’s “And Then There Was None” is off and running.
The Flat Rock Playhouse production features Damian Duke Domingue and Neela Munoz as the butler and housekeeper, Mr. and Mrs. Rogers. Lisa K. Bryant as the mysterious Mrs. Owen’s secretary Vera Claythorne, Willie V.R. Repoley as Philip Lombard, Ben Hope as Anthony Marston, Brian Robinson as William Blore, Stewart Gregory as General MacKenzie, Paige Posey as Emily Brent, Ralph Redpath as Sir Lawrence Wargrove and Peter Thomasson as Dr. Armstrong.
Christie, one of the most prolific mystery writers of the 20th century, wrote 66 detective stories in 56 years. Well known for her Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple detectives, she also wrote a number of books that didn’t feature one of her signature sleuths. “And Then There Were None,” also known as “10 Little Indians,” was one of the public’s favorites. It was reworked as a play and as a film, being produced at least three different times.
The set for the Flat Rock production is beautiful, like a room borrowed from the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Head-high paneled walls line two sides of the room, while stained glass windows and doors make up the back wall. Stenciled at ceiling height are nursery rhymes, while in pride of place over the fireplace mantel is the poem “10 Little Indians:”
Ten little Indian boys went out to dine;
One choked himself and 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 in Devon;
One said he’d stay there and then there were seven.
Seven little Indian boys chopping up sticks;
One chopped himself in halves 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 in the Zoo;
A big bear hugged one and then there were two.
Two little Indian boys sitting in the sun;
One got frizzled up and then there was one.
One little Indian boy left all alone;
He went and hanged himself and then there were none.
Back to that voice that suddenly was heard. It makes certain accusations against all those present, including the butler and housekeeper, Mr. and Mrs. Rogers. The participants discover that the voice is on a record that Rogers was instructed to play by the absent Mr. Owen.
Sir Lawrence Wargrave calls for calm and asks each person how they know their hosts. As the mystery deepens each character is exposed and explored, with the acting becoming more intense. All the actors did an outstanding job, but the slow disintegration of Thomasson’s Dr. Armstrong, and Redpath’s dominance as Judge Wargrave were outstanding.
Audiences should pay particular attention to all the clues, since during intermission a vote will be taken on who-dun-it and a winner drawn from the correct answer for two tickets to “Dear Santa,” the playhouse’s holiday show.
“And Then There Were None” is an enjoyable evening of theater and a workout for the mind.
26 August 2008
And Then There Were None
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
here is the CT's take...
BG--
Production of Agatha Christie mystery is worth a look
FLAT ROCK – Agatha Christie’s best-known mystery novel comes to life in Flat Rock Playhouse’s “And Then There Were None.”
Eight guests arrive at an island off the coast of England at the invitation of hosts they have never met. What starts out as a delightful holiday soon turns into mayhem and murder.
A mysterious poem displayed above the mantel chronicles how “10 little soldiers went out to die,” and sure enough, the island’s 10 inhabitants (including two servants) start dropping like flies, as described in the poem.
A phonograph record is played detailing the fact that each person in one way or another is guilty of murder, and someone is slowly but surely exacting revenge (or some would say justice).
Vain playboy Anthony Marston (Ben Hope) is the first to die a choking death from cyanide, after which the remaining residents scramble to find the killer before they become his — or her — next victim.
Everyone’s a suspect, at least until he or she is dispatched by the killer, and everyone has something in his past that may provide motive for murder.
Stodgy butler Rogers (Damian Duke Domingue) and his high-strung wife (Neela Munoz) seem like hapless servants caught up in a drama until it comes out that they withheld medicine from a previous employer to get an inheritance.
Dr. Armstrong (Peter Thomasson) was drunk when he operated on a patient, resulting in his death.
Philip Lombard (Willie V.R. Repoley) is an adventurer known for his skill in getting out of tight spots — even abandoning 21 men to die in the African bush.
Doddering old General MacKenzie (Stewart Gregory) has his dark side — he sent his wife’s lover on a suicide mission.
Retired policeman William Blore (Brian Robinson) is always accusing others but feels no guilt about having perjured himself to get convictions.
Even Vera Claythorne (Lisa K. Bryant), who seems like a ray of sunshine among these rogues, is tormented by guilt. She let a boy in her care swim out to sea and drown, resulting in her lover receiving an inheritance.
The island’s “guests” struggle to find whoever is killing them, and audience members join in the hunt, casting their guesses for the killer’s identity during intermission. Director Michael Edwards tallies up the votes after the show and urges spectators not to give away the play’s ending.
It’s all great fun, thanks to an enthusiastic cast and a timeless classic by an acknowledged master of the mystery genre.
by Tim Reid
Post a Comment