And Then There Were None - UK Tour

[theatrefan62]

Did a search for an existing thread but nothing came up.

Starts in the Autumn.

Directed by Lucy Bailey

[crabtree]

I hope she gets to free it from its' literal living room set

[firefingers]

Feb 27, 2023 21:40:18 GMT crabtree said:

I hope she gets to free it from its' literal living room set

From what I understand, that is very much the plan. 

[theatrefan62]

I saw the west end production many years ago and for me it's biggest problem was it made the one key murder very obvious that it was the twist as it was staged differently to every other murder.

[willjam39]

Having directed it for a local Amdram company it is a good show to do but we did bring the action out of the living room when we could. There was a version at the Gielgud in the early 2000s which i think was a new adaption and that certainly tried to add more locations.

[theatrefan62]

Mar 2, 2023 14:47:05 GMT willjam39 said:

Having directed it for a local Amdram company it is a good show to do but we did bring the action out of the living room when we could. There was a version at the Gielgud in the early 2000s which i think was a new adaption and that certainly tried to add more locations.

That's the production I saw. The twist just seemed so obvious

[mrbarnaby]

The Gielgud production was big- a rather elaborate set. Multiple locations. Sadly the okay itself was rubbish

[willjam39]

True, ive never seen that version turn up again. The Agatha Christie theatre co toured the original version which was a nice night out.

[justfran]

This is my favourite Agatha Christie book so I'm looking forward to seeing it on stage. Will be interesting to see who is cast. I recently rewatched the brilliant BBC adaptation from a few years ago starring Aidan Turner and Charles Dance (amongst an overall very strong cast).

[justfran]

Cast announced:

www.whatsonstage.com/news/full-casting-announced-for-return-of-agatha-christies-and-then-there-were-none_1513115/

[joem]

I have fond memories of playing the baddie in an amdram production many decades ago - so long ago it still had it's original name - it is certainly one of Christie's finest thrillers but, unfortunately, the changes to the plot made for the film and stage versions weaken it.

[willjam39]

Already one change obvious from the casting, usually you have a Mr and Mrs Rogers but in this list we have only a Mrs Rogers and a new female character in Jane Pinchbeck. Wonder how that will change the backstories.

[Jan]

Recently there was a multi-episode French TV version of this called IIls Etaient Dix which I enjoyed because it was a complete updating set in present day France with an interesting choice of contemporary issues (from a French perspective) in the backstories. It is still available free on All4 I think. However, as above, once you know the twist it is very easy to spot even in this version which is very far from the original.

[Deleted]

The 1974 film version did the complete plot twist which was surprising as Dame Agetha was still alive then and I assume she had to approve it as her family still has an interest in her estate all these years later.

I never knew what the original title was until at a post show event to a tour some years ago it was mentioned that the original title wouldn't go down well nowadays.

Looks a decent tour cast and should be worth a night out to see it.

[justfran]

I saw the matinee today in Newcastle and enjoyed it very much. Very tense and atmospheric. As mentioned above, Mr and Mrs Rogers are now Georgina Rogers and Jane Pinchbeck. They are still the cook and butler at the house, no change to the backstory and it didn't seem to make much difference either way. Perhaps the change is to create more of a balance in male / female characters? A really good cast - I was particularly impressed with Joseph Beattie as Philip Lombard (who I recognised from the film Brideshead Revisited), Andrew Lancel as William Blore had great stage presence and Sophie Walter as Vera Claythorne (who reminded me a bit of Jessie Buckley). 4 stars from me and would highly recommend!

[showgirl]

Encouraging to read and I have seen a few favourable reviews from the tour venues so far, though early days.  I'm due to see this in Richmond in a couple of weeks (date should now be safe from rail strikes/overtime bans - phew), having wanted to catch it in Guildford but found it far too expensive. Bizarre that I can pay £13 for what I know to be a decent seat in Richmond yet the same would cost more than double at my preferred theatre.

[capybara]

Thoroughly enjoyed this at Richmond last night.

I remembered the ending from the BBC adaptation but it didn’t spoil my enjoyment.

Four stars.

[Dave B]

Oops, my searching failed as I had posted this in brief reviews yesterday, we were there on Tuesday.

Sluggish to get the 10 'soldiers' and backstories into place but really goes for it after the interval. Paranoia and panic, some almost pantomime performances but some gems in there too. The finale is good, and the thing I like about Christie is that nothing comes out of nowhere. It is all there, you can look back to join the dots. The staging of the finale is particular good with an impressive

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler - click to view}
hanging of one character leading to the lights out. Quite a visual!!

4 stars.

[Jan]

Lucy Bailey is a very good director who unusually amongst her peers doesn't confine herself to high art, although her Shakespeare productions are a match for theirs.

[showgirl]

Enjoyed the matinee in Richmond yesterday & it was great to see the auditiorium so full yet to find the entire audience (seemingly) rapt and attentive throughout, ie no talking, coughing, wrapper-rustling, etc... though I do think I might have heard one mobile ring briefly. The downside was that it took an age to enter and leave the building, but at least I'm a regular there and always book an aisle seat so was able to sprint for the loos at the interval and avoid the long queue which soon built up. Definitely a case of the production elevating the material but a great way to spend a wet autumn afternoon. As it followed a cheap morning showing of a film I'd previously discounted but which was on nearby and fitted neatly (A Haunting In Venice), it was quite a day of melodrama and murder. My evening play was out of synch, though to continue the theme, I could have murdered the critics whose reviews encouraged me to see that; fell asleep in the first half and escaped at the interval.

[parsley1]

I had a bad week this week

The tiresome Confessions

The dreadful Lear

I was so looking forward to this

Not a patch on the WE staging either set wise or cast (and that was far from perfect but had a very memorable first death)

Unsure why we needed a gender swap to create a same sex relationship where one isn’t in the text

Very silly set with a dining room rammed at the back of the stage

Nothing about the execution of design evoked a house of the extravagant proportions described in the lines

The soldiers could hardly be seen

And the portrayal of the deaths lacked any shock or horror

Very flat for me, no tension and typical bad touring standard acting

Disappointing

[grannyjx6]

Nov 4, 2023 0:24:38 GMT parsley1 said:

I had a bad week this week

The tiresome Confessions

The dreadful Lear

I was so looking forward to this

Not a patch on the WE staging either set wise or cast (and that was far from perfect but had a very memorable first death)

Unsure why we needed a gender swap to create a same sex relationship where one isn’t in the text

Very silly set with a dining room rammed at the back of the stage

Nothing about the execution of design evoked a house of the extravagant proportions described in the lines

The soldiers could hardly be seen

And the portrayal of the deaths lacked any shock or horror

Very flat for me, no tension and typical bad touring standard acting

Disappointing

[grannyjx6]

Well I really hope I don’t feel the same as I’m seeing it tomorrow. To my amazement it’s practically sold out (unusual for plays in Sheffield), and because I didn’t book straight away I’ve got a rubbish (cheap) seat in the middle of the row, so if it isn’t very good I can’t sneak out.

[ploverlover]

Have booked this as a Christmas present to take my parents in January (Nottingham).
Unfortunately, I may have made a big mistake as dad casually dropped into conversation that he ‘can’t stand Agatha Christie’ and thought The Mousetrap was ‘absolute tripe’. Oops.

Hoping that this production will change his mind…. And keep them both awake. Encouraging that most reviews on here are pretty positive. 🤞

[showgirl]

Understandable that you would worry but honestly, I think it barely matters who wrote the source material (& would anyone guess or recognise the author's hand if they didn't know?); it's more about the treatment and production, the outing and having a good time. I think all the ingredients for this are there and combined well in my experience - and though this may have been matinee-specific, the audience at my performance definitely seemed enthusiastic and to be enjoying the whole trip back to the so-called Golden Age.