What’s better than an Agatha Christie novel? The only possible answer to that question is: seeing one of her classic stories adapted to the stage and told to you live by a bunch of fantastic creatives. And Then There Were None is the latest Whodunnit to bless Cardiff with a stop on their tour, and we’re so glad we got to catch it while it’s here.
Ten strangers are lured to a remote island in Devon, known as Solider Island, under different pretences. After getting acquainted with one another, they soon discover that the situation is not what they were promised. It’s a Christie story, so it’s no secret that each guest is killed off one-by-one and we are pushed into ‘detective mode’ as we try to figure out who the killer is among them. That’s as much as I’m willing to tell you about the story, if I say any more then I’ll ruin it for you! I’ve never been much of a crime reader, so I’m new to the story of And Then There Were None, which heightened my experience watching this play. It left me sitting on the edge of my seat trying to figure out who could be the culprit; my predictions were incredibly wrong and I absolutely loved the big twist in the story at the end!
As a drama and theatre graduate, I know that it can be incredibly hard to stage a show that features so many characters. The creatives are working with limited space on the stage while making sure that each character is portrayed perfectly and the story flows well to keep the audience hooked. Director Lucy Bailey and her team have done an amazing job at putting this tricky performance together. I also think where death is involved in a play, it can be easy for the acting to become tacky, but each one was done so tastefully that it didn’t dampen the production value. I was thoroughly impressed with how well this show was put together, which is credit to all the cast and creatives involved. The set design was also fantastic at creating the feeling that we really were on a remote island in Devon and not in Cardiff city centre.
I absolutely loved watching this production and I wish I could go back in time, forget the outcome, and watch it all over again. You can be part of the action and catch And Then There Were None at the New Theatre in Cardiff until this Saturday 23rd March. The room was packed with an audience keen to be thrilled by the genius mind of Agatha Christie, so don’t hesitate to get your tickets before it’s too late! https://trafalgartickets.com/new-theatre-cardiff/en-GB/event/play/and-then-there-were-none-tickets
