Review by: Paul Towers, 08 May 2018
Love from a stranger by Agatha Christie & Frank Vosper
A Fiery Angel & Derngate Northampton production
Curve 8 – 12 May 2018
“full of red herrings and plot twists.”
When you see Dame Agatha Christie’s name on a book or play you
can be sure that the story will be full of red herrings and plot twists. There
will also be plenty of plot holes, but that doesn’t matter as the tension is
ramped up.
Love From a Stranger started off as a short story called
Philomel Cottage, part of The Listerdale Mystery collection. Although Christie went
on to write it up as a stage play it was never performed. Actor Frank Vosper,
eyeing up a potential lead for himself, created a much tighter version which
was a hit in London’s West End in 1936.
In the intervening years there have been sundry radio and
film versions but this version has brought it bang up to date with technological
innovations.
Ostensibly a fairly run of the mill drawing room comedy in
the first half, two friends, Mavis and Cecily, have won £50,000 on a
sweepstake. A life changing amount in the 1930’s. Mavis plans to travel while
cautious Cecily is finally able to marry her dull but reliable fiancée of 5
years, Michael. As a result she is looking to rent out her flat. A strange
young man, Bruce Lovell (Sam Frenchum), arrives to potentially rent the flat
and Cecily (Helen Bradbury) falls head over heels in love immediately.
The second half ramps up the tension as Bruce becomes more
and more controlling and finally reveals his hand.
All this would be very standard Agatha Christie, played out
in a hundred am dram church halls the length of the country. But here is where Director
Lucy Bailey has surprised us all. Gathered around her are designer Mike
Britton, lighting designer Oliver Fenwick and sound designed Richard Hammarton.
Together they have come up with an innovative set which slides back and forth,
much like watching a widescreen film on a regular TV. This enables us to see
beyond the immediate stage. Creative lighting and sound really ramp up the
psychological tension. Then, just when you think there are no more tricks to
keep us on the edge of our seats, a room at the top of the stairs is revealed
enabling Bruce to watch and overhear the goings on downstairs. The final plot twists
caught us all unawares and gave a blood tingling final curtain.
Love From a Stranger is at Curve until Saturday
First published on Western Gazette
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