Eight guests arrive at an island house where an older couple are servants running the place in the host’s absence. They are an eclectic bunch – some larger than life and some more authentic. There’s a secretary, a doctor, a spinster, a judge, a detective and a couple of military types. It’s all very yesteryear, but quite endearing.
During the early scenes, Susan Penhaligon plays the old-fashioned grand dame Emily Brent with sufficient comedy skill during her sparring on morality and manners to spark some laughs. I hardly recognised Paul Nicholas as Sir Lawrence Wargrave, with his cut-glass accent and easy command of the situation.
One or two of the younger characters were a little over-the-top but it all added to the charm. The costumes worn by Verity Claythorne as Vera Rushworth were a sight to behold – especially the stunning backless evening dress. Her youthful steeliness was well portrayed.
After a bit of a slow start, the play gets going. The tension builds and the audience is kept on its toes as the action starts. And then it accelerates skilfully through the exciting plot where the characters start dropping like flies. The two short intervals actually made it more fun – time to digest what had happened and speculate on what might happen next and, of course, “Who dunnit?”.
The set for this production was inspirational – it really did feel like we were in a grand house, on the top of a rock on a desolate island. During the storm scenes, the isolation was almost palpable. And when the power failed, the dim flickering candlelight added to the creepy suspense.
My companion knew the book – but he promised not to tell me the ending. So I was genuinely caught up in the twists and turns of the plot and thoroughly enjoyed the surprise ending.
“And then there were none” plays at Richmond Theatre until Saturday 30th May. http://www.atgtickets.com/shows/and-then-there-were-none/richmond-theatre/
Future tour dates include Crawley, Gravesend, Croydon and Milton Keynes.
