Queen of Mystery Agatha Christie wrote the novel of And Then There Were None in 1939, and later adapted it for the stage.
When it was first published the book had a different title, but it was changed after changing attitudes rightfully recognised the original title was offensive. The book was then published under a different title, but that too needed to be changed for racist connotations.
Like many of Christie’s novels it features a group of strangers thrown together in a remote location and soon the bodies start piling up.
Eight people gather on a remote island off the Devon coast. They don’t know each other but they’ve all been invited to a weekend away by a couple none of them have met either. The house is staffed two servants.
Quickly we’re introduced to the butler Rogers and his wife Ethel who serves as the cook. As a boat arrives a cavalcade of guests enter including secretary, the elderly spinster, a doctor, a retired judge, a soldier of fortune, a wealthy young man, a South African businessman and a retied military general.
The greetings of the characters are comical. “Dr Armstrong have you met Miss Brent and General Mackenzie?”, “Judge Wargrave, can I introduce Dr Armstrong, Miss Brent and General Mackenzie?”, “Mr Marsden, can I fetch you a drink, have you met Judge Wargrave, Dr Armstrong, Miss Brent and General Mackenzie?”
Things soon take a dark turn when a booming voice accuses all of the guests of having individually committed a murder in their past, and not long after one of them drops dead. And we’re off into a classic murder-mystery.
A cast of great actors are in the cast, Peter O’Brien plays William Blore, Nicholas Hammond is General Mackenzie, Mia Morrisey is Vera Claythorne, Eden Falk is Doctor Armstrong, Jack Bannister is Anthony Marston, Jennifer Flowers is Emily Brent, Anthony Phelan is Sir Lawrence Wargrave, Tom Stokes is Phulip Lombard, while Grant Piro plays butler Rogers, and Christen O’Leary is his wife.
One of the challenges of this type of classic play is that it’s been mocked, mimicked and spoofed so many times, it’s hard to take it seriously. From the hugely popular Knives Out films, to Netflix’s recent series The Residence, we’re making fun of the set up all the time.
Filled with English accents, some better than others, classic fashion, a stunningly designed set, this is good old-fashioned entertainment and guessing whose behind all the shenanigans is a lot of fun.
