Review by: Paul Towers, 12 September 2016
And Then There
Were None by Agatha Christie
Leicester Drama Society production
Little Theatre 12 – 17 September
“Agatha Christie thriller”
And Then There Were None is a pretty standard Agatha
Christie thriller; a select number of people (in this case 10) stranded in an
isolated locations (here an hotel on an island) all with secrets. One by one
they are discounted (this time by their untimely deaths) until there is only
one. But is the one the one?
Leicester Drama Society (LDS) has a fine record for putting
on thrillers and light fluffy romantic pieces. This Christie, a very popular play
on the amateur circuit due to its single set, has a nice mix of characters,
some more fully drawn than others.
The title comes from a children’s nursery rhyme hanging in a
frame above a set of decorative soldiers. The figurines disappear one by one as
the various victims are despatched. Starting with ten little soldiers the final
two are all that is left as the murderer is revealed. My only grouse is that,
having been engrossed in the recent BBC adaptation, I did remember who dunnit.
However that didn’t spoil my enjoyment
unduly.
When the original book was published in 1939 it was called
Ten Little N******s in the UK but And Then There Were None in the US where,
even then, the ‘N’ word was considered unsavoury. Even when it was changed to
Ten Little Indians it was soon decided this was still not inoffensive enough and
so the current title was adopted from the US publication.
As is usual with LDS productions the standard of acting is
very high from a cast that, year after year, we see in a wide variety of roles.
A great single set depicting the hotel’s sea view lounge is all that is needed as
the claustrophobia of the situation ramps up. It would be unfair to single out
any of the actors as this is very much an ensemble piece ably directed by
resident bossy boots, John Bale.
And Then There Were None is on until 17 September
Details on Little
Theatre website
First published on Western Gazette
Unfair but interesting none the less, surely?
ReplyDeleteI fail to see what you can possibly call unfair.
DeleteMaybe if you didn't hide behind an anonymous ID I could take your coment seriously.
the comment of unfair was not mine but taken from the review, perhaps I should of stated my thought a little clearer for you. Would it not be good to actually read the reviewers opinions on the performances, not particularly controversial though maybe you disagree.
ReplyDeleteI am the reviewer. I wrote the review
ReplyDeleteAs I said, it is an ensemble piece, no individual character stands out as a 'star'. They are all very integral to the story. None is more important than the others.
Each character gets their moment to shine, some for slightly longer than others.
If I were to critique each individual member of the cast (and that would be the only fair way with this production) my review would be 10 times as long and very boring. It would also be very unfair to those actors whose characters are killed off early, as well as being a plot spoiler.