“Ten little soldier boys went out to dine; one choked his
little self and then there were nine…”
Agatha Christie's classic work is the world’s bestselling crime novel, and
to this day, still stands in high regard in book clubs across the nation.
Adapted for stage by Christie herself, originally with an adapted ending,
which was later undone in 2005 by Kevin Elyot.
The action takes place on Soldier Island, off the coast of
Devon, in the late 1930s, and opens by introducing the play's 10 characters
arriving at a house for a party. The story is heavily set around the counting
rhyme, Ten Little Soldiers, which, in term, explains how the next character
will end up dead. Thus, leaving just our murderer at the end. The classic
‘Who-dunnit.’
Today’s performance was set in just one room, inside Mr.
Owen's house (yet the scene changes still took a while), a quaint, yet simple
room, a (really overused) drinks' cabinet on the side, and a semi-circle of
chairs in the middle of the room. That was all they needed really.
The cast did a great job with the constant monologues, as
each character had to say their bit, not an easy task remembering page after
page of dialogue, especially in a show that lasted nearly 3 hours! Although, a
couple of premature entries led to characters talking over each other at
points, it felt no dissimilar to family conversations you would have at home at
gatherings. The only downside to that, was our very keen prompt, who would say
a line during a dramatic pause, although clearly wasn’t needed, unsettling the
actors flow.
As the play went on, there was an element of mystery in the
auditorium, as we got chance to discuss with each other, during the extended
scene changes what was going on, I would often overhear, ‘no it can’t be him’
and ‘I think she did it’ which I thought was a really great thing to hear, as
people were actively getting involved with the show! Although, I guessed the
murderer about 15 minutes into the show!
The costumes were simple, 3-piece suits for all the gents,
evening gowns for the ladies, gradually becoming more dishevelled as the play
went on and tensions rose.
As for the production, the sound team had very little to do,
they played a recording of the nursery rhyme over the scene changes, and that
was pretty much it. The lighting was simple but effective, clean, with a splash
of red once a character dies.
Director Nick Turner can be proud of what he and the
Halifax Thespians have produced, as it was a thoroughly entertaining evening
out. Questioning every piece of unearthed evidence, to-ing and fro-ing between
conclusions, and of course, the big reveal at the end. Bravo to all involved,
and I really hope the rest of the run goes well for you.
Reviewer - Simon Oliver
on - 15.2.22
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