![](https://www.sardinesmagazine.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/015-jpg.webp)
Show: And Then There Were None
Society: Richmond Theatre (professional)
Venue: Richmond Theatre. 1 Little Green, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1QJ
Credits: By Agatha Christie.
Type: Sardines
Author: Chris Abbott
Performance Date: 01/11/2023
And Then There Were None
Chris Abbott | 02 Nov 2023 14:53pm
Photos: Manuel Harlan
Written in 1939 and acknowledged as the ‘best-selling crime thriller of all time’, And Then There Were None is regularly adapted for stage and screen. When Christie originally adapted her book for the stage, she devised something of a happy ending, with two of the characters finding love after it is revealed they are not guilty of the crimes they have been accused of. In this version, as has been the case more recently in some other productions, the original ending from the book is restored, despite the bleak picture this might present.
In Lucy Bailey’s production, there is no light at the end of the tunnel. As with so many productions of this play, this does lead to something of a repetitive plot as one character after another keels over. In order for this to be believable, we need to think these are real people; and we need to believe they would behave as they do during the play. For the most part this is achieved, with some good performances, particularly from an authoritative David Yelland as the distinguished if troubled Judge Wargrave (surely Justice Wargrave would be more correct in a play set in the UK?). Similarly believeable is another experienced actor, Jeffrey Kissoon, as General Mackenzie and Andrew Lancel works hard to breathe life into the stereotype he is portraying.
Sophie Walter is a convincing Vera Claythorne and copes well with the extensive histrionics required, although if Miss Brent was to remark on her backless dress, she would surely also mention the tattoo – an increasingly-seen anachronism in class plays. Many of the younger cast members have little to work with, their characters being either sketched only lightly by the author, or their demise coming before they have had time to give us a rounded portrayal. This leads to some over-emphatic playing, and Katy Stephens was for me too exaggerated as Emily Brent, even stretching some of her line readings to get laughs that did not seem to belong in this play. This may have been a directorial requirement of course, and Lucy Bailey has chosen a relatively non-realist style for the production, with those who are killed coming back to life in slow motion and reappearing at certain points. This almost works, but in the end the material is too slight to provide the necessary depth to carry off this acting style, despite the hard work put in by the performers.
The set by Mike Britton is interesting but not wholly successful. The moving gauze effectively provides different playing areas and it is used well for flashbacks, but entrances through the divisions in the material inevitably lead to props or costumes getting caught up. I suspect it is not a popular set element with the cast. The precipitous rake on one side of the stage provides a steep entrance but is otherwise devoid of purpose, and the black furniture and walls contrast with the range of colours used for the costumes. I have no idea what was meant to be understood by the (unseen) lowering of the chandelier – shades of Phantom of the Opera – other than to provide a handy rope for the next plot development.
Despite these reservations, the play held the attention of a packed Richmond Theatre, and it is good to see a touring play with such a large cast. There is surely room for re-interpretations as well as restagings of classic plays such as this, even when they are not totally successful.