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Adapted
from the book by Agatha Christie
by Kevin Elyot
Direced
by
Stephen Pimlott
Cast
Mrs Rogers
Katy Brittain
Armstrong
Richard Clothier
Anthony
Marston
Sam Crane
General
Macarthur
Graham Crowden
Vera
Claythorne
Tara FitzGerald
Lombard
Anthony Howell
Justice
Wargrave
Richard Johnson
Emily
Brent
Gemma Jones
Rogers
John Ramm
Albert
Blore
David Ross
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The
Gielgud Theatre
From
14 october 2005 |
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Do we
really need another Agatha
Christie in the West End?
Certainly the house was packed
and the audience seemed to
enjoy it, but it will last?
This new production is very
lavish, with top-class actors
and a swish set, but the play
is so dated and inconsequential
that I wonder if it is justified.
One doesn't care about the
characters so the only point
is to try to guess who 'dunnit'.
I have to confess that I didn't,
but even so I wasn't gripped,
and despite a few occasions
of being startled ‚ by crashes,
screeching seagulls or gunshots
‚ there was no real tension.
Ten individuals have been
invited to a house on an island
and by the end of the first
scene we discover that they
are all guilty of some kind
of murder, but all with extenuating
circumstances and all without
material proof. Some of them
confess freely, obviously
convinced they are innocent,
others, after attempting to
deny all knowledge, claim
the deaths were accidents
or casualties of war and only
natural; but they soon realise
that they have been brought
together for some strange
purpose.
In each of their rooms (and
dramatically reinforced on
a big silver column in the
centre of the set) is the
poem Ten Little Soldier Boys
‚ 'Ten little Soldier Boys
going out to dine; One went
and choked his little self
and then there were nine...'
As the action unfolds, the
guests begin to understand
that the words are being brought
to life by their own deaths.
But who is doing the killing?
Steven Pimlott's production
has its moments, but they
are comedic ones not tense
ones. This is both a directorial
choice and a result of the
new adaptation by Kevin Elyot.
Even as their numbers begin
to dwindle, and they become
more and more suspicious of
each other, the temperature
barely rises. Moments which
could have been either nail-biting
or touching were played for
laughs. At the same time it
wasn't a spoof, so we were
left feeling a bit unsettled.
Especially at the end which
Elyot has changed ‚ it is
neither the play's ending
nor the film's. I suppose
they felt it necessary to
put back some element of surprise
but it just felt a bit wrong.
Without giving anything away,
I felt the end belonged to
a very different play. This
is Agatha Christie after all.
There are the usual mix of
characters ‚ a doctor, a cad,
a young woman, a General,
a detective...Perhaps ten is
too many ‚ it would have been
more dramatic with fewer,
as with ten to kill off they
expire, one after another,
pretty rapidly. The first
to die is Marston (Sam Crane),
who chokes to death soon after
dinner. I was very sorry to
see him go as he had been
by far the most entertaining,
managing to be quite convincing
with his ridiculously over
the top rendering of 'I say!',
his nonchalance at having
run over two people while
driving at top speed and his
wild dancing.
Tara Fitzgerald looks beautiful
and with her gung-ho attitude
and wonderfully toned arms
is quite believable as a games
mistress; Anthony Howell is
smooth and charming as the
love interest and Richard
Johnson gives a great performance
as the judge with a touch
of sadism. The rest of the
cast are just as fine and
I'm sure there are many people
who will love such an evening
of light entertainment but
for me it just didn't add
up.
Francine Brody |
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