All plays — The Agatha Christie Community Forum Archive

Witness for the Prosecution - Croydon - 23 to 26 April

MichaelHallc4066cb2f539432a — Wed, 01 Apr 2015 22:48:27 +0000

Hello,

I'm delighted to be directing a production of Christie's courtroom classic Witness for the Prosecution this month in Croydon, South London.

At the Old Bailey, a young man called Leonard Vole stands accused of murder, and only the advocacy of famed defence barrister Sir Wilfrid Robarts can clear him. Circumstantial evidence piles up against Vole, until the Prosecution produce their star witness – Leonard’s glamorous wife, Romaine!

Twists unfold, secrets are unearthed and tension mounts, until the key question is asked: “Do you find the defendant guilty, or not guilty?” Of course, this being Agatha Christie, the verdict is only the beginning…

Witness for the Prosecution runs from Thursday 23 April to Sunday 26 April at the Braithwaite Hall, Croydon Clocktower, Katharine Street, Croydon, CR9 1ET, with evening performances on the Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:45pm and matinees on Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 April at 2:30pm. Tickets cost £14 for adults and £12 for all concessions, and may be booked at www.codashows.co.uk, or by calling 07858 879 019.

So that's the shameless plug, but I'm really enjoying directing it. There are so many great moments of character and humour as well as the central "Did-he-or-didn't-he?" story. While most of the audience will enjoy guessing whether to believe Romaine or Leonard Vole, and trying to work out who did kill Emily French if Leonard didn't, I'll be looking forward to Mr Myers' mannerisms, the Judge's slightly "out of touch" humour and Janet MacKenzie's disapproval of Leonard. It's a terrific story, and very well told by Christie.

AKHNATON!!!!

PoirotBabosaGalaxy — Sun, 25 Feb 2018 04:40:23 +0000

Oh, my CHRISTIE!

PTAH-FOOEY! (Spoiler Alert)

AKHNATON

I've read that play when I was a little kid and absolutely became engrossed and drawn to the characters of Egyptian mythology.

I would love to see a production of this play. Oh, dear, me- and it was not impossible to stage Verdi's opera, AÏDA; so I don't know why I've read somewhere that Agatha Christie's play, AKHNATON, could not be staged because it had too many scenes. Whatever!

(You know honestly, I would like to make this play into a cartoon MOVIE; but instead of human characters, I'd like to see maybe little bugs, or little grey cells, scarabs, or beetles or maybe snakes as characters.)

Also, I suspect that the character PTAHMOSE (who showed up when the old queen TYI died in shock) was Agatha Christie's comic relief interpretation of- you know him very well as- POIROT!

Haha. LOL.
@PoirotBabosaGalaxy ;

Lesser known novels

stephen — Sat, 21 Oct 2017 22:23:39 +0000

Hi
sorry mistakenly published this comment under the wrong section, have moved the post to its correct section!

Witness for the Prosecution Production of Stage Play

Lizbit — Tue, 21 Feb 2017 12:39:41 +0000

The Crescent Theatre in Birmingham are putting on Christie's stage version of Witness for the Prosecution next week, Sat 25th Feb - Sat 4th March

http://www.crescent-theatre.co.uk/theatre-event/?EventID=67531&spektrix_bounce=true

A stage adaptation of "Murder on the Orient Express!"

GKCfan — Fri, 13 Jan 2017 22:36:08 +0000

A new stage adaptation of MOTOE is coming: http://www.playbill.com/article/max-von-essen-julie-halston-and-more-cast-in-murder-on-the-orient-express.

Curtain Up - Agatha Christie: A Life in Theatre

Pete — Thu, 06 Oct 2016 07:36:27 +0000

How many have read the whole book yet? Any highlights/gems to share?
I've just got a copy and it's a very large thorough work.It will take me some time to read it,but I'm looking forward to it!

Black Coffee

monamis — Fri, 23 May 2014 17:56:32 +0000

Have any of you seen the new production touring the UK -Black Coffee ?

I saw it in Blackpool the other day, a wonderful performance. Robert Powell stars as Hercule Poirot. It was well acted, with crisp diction and subtle humour. It is certainly well recommended.

Lost Christie plays found

Luke — Sun, 23 Aug 2015 12:27:04 +0000

http://www.dnaindia.com/lifestyle/report-ten-unknown-works-by-agatha-christie-discovered-in-london-2117611

Christie plays found that were previously lost

And Then There Were None - April 28-30 in Woking, Surrey

WHBlore — Fri, 08 Apr 2016 19:20:31 +0000

Do come and see this play at the Rhoda McGaw Theatre in Woking (25min from London Waterloo) from April 28-30. Buy your tickets at £14 from www.horsellads.com or call 01483 808354. Rehearsals are going very well and this promises to be a wonderful night out with all the tension and excitement of the original novel.
Any questions? Please ask - I'm an ex-CID man!

Spider's Web at Farnworth Little Theatre

jhowarth — Fri, 18 Mar 2016 17:24:04 +0000

Spider’s Web by Agatha Christie, directed by Andrew Close, will be performed at
Farnworth Little Theatre,
Cross Street,
Farnworth,
BOLTON BL4 7AJ

Saturday 12th to Saturday 19th November 2016 at 7.30pm
with an additional matinee at 2pm on Saturday 19th November

There will be a Reading on Sunday 17th April 2016, 2.30pm
Auditions will be on Thursday 21st and Thursday 28th April 2016 at 7.30pm

Further details on FLT website at www.farnworthlittletheatre.co.uk

Witness for the Prosecution - Milton Keynes April 13 - 16

Bowiewhist — Thu, 10 Mar 2016 12:26:07 +0000

The classic courtroom drama was chosen during Agatha Christie's 125th anniversary year as our launch production at Stantonbury Theatre, MK. Etc theatre co is a new team combining professional, semi professional and amateurs

Agatha Christie: The Lost Plays (BBC CD)

danieleharden — Fri, 26 Feb 2016 18:51:24 +0000

I recently purchased the BBC CD (2 CD set) which includes Butter in a Lordly Dish, Murder in the Mews, and Personal Call. I was really excited because having read Agatha Christie novels and stories and plays since I was about 12, I was thrilled to find "new" content - that is, Agatha Christie material that was new to me. (I have read all the novels years ago, and am currently working through reading all her available material in chronological order.) At any rate, occasionally on the CD there is dialog that I can't make out. This is rather annoying, especially since to my knowledge there is no available hard copy of the scripts to these radio plays. So I was wondering if there were others who have this CD set that might help me.
The one that has proved the most troublesome at the moment is in Butter in a Lordly Dish. On CD #1 in track #5, at about the 1:35 mark, Luke Enderby has a bit of dialog that starts with "By Jove" - and I just can't get most of what follows, two or three short sentences, He seems to almost mutter. I don't want to spoil anything for anybody who has yet to listen, so this might be better served in a personal email. I'm just looking for help with the dialog.

And Then There Were None- Maplewood NJ March 4th-12th

MissMollE — Thu, 07 Jan 2016 18:31:08 +0000

The Strollers Community Theater Company in Maplewood, NJ, is holding auditions for Agatha Christie’s classic murder mystery AND THEN THERE WERE NONE on Tuesday and Wednesday, January 12 and 13, 2016 at 7:30 p.m. at the Burgdorff Center for the Performing Arts,10 Durand Road, Maplewood. Callbacks are Thursday at the same time.

No appointment necessary. Callbacks are Thursday, January 14.)

Rehearsals are Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from January 20 to March 3, from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Performances are Friday and Saturday, March 4 and 5 and March 11 and 12 at 8: p.m. and March 6 at 2 p.m.

For more information, character breakdowns, and sides, visit our website www.TheStrollers.org or email us at TheMaplewoodStrollers@gmail.com.

A MURDER IS ANNOUNCED at the Floral Pavilion Theatre in New Brighton from 26th to 31st October

MarinaPromenade — Tue, 11 Aug 2015 14:05:03 +0000

We have a fabulous company coming to our theatre with A Murder is Announced this October. The Floral Pavilion Theatre is located in New Brighton, Wirral.

Middle Ground Theatre Company presents a lavish new production of a classic Miss Marple mystery.

A MURDER IS ANNOUNCED

Adapted for the stage by Leslie Darbon

Monday 26th to Saturday 31st October 7.30pm

Wed & Sat Matinee 2.30pm

Tickets £20.00 - £26.00

Visit our website for more details or to book tickets

Special Agatha Christie 125th Anniversary Gala Performance - Friday 30th October click here for more details

Starring JUDY CORNWELL as Miss Marple and DIANE FLETCHER as Letitia Blacklock, with TOM BUTCHER (The Bill / Doctors), SARAH THOMAS (Last Of The Summer Wine), RACHEL BRIGHT (Eastenders), DEAN SMITH (Waterloo Road) and a full supporting cast.

"A murder is announced and will take place on Friday, October the thirteenth, at Little Paddocks - at six-thirty p.m."

The residents of Chipping Cleghorn are astonished to read an advert in the local newspaper that a murder will take place this coming Friday at Little Paddocks, the home of Letitia Blacklock. Unable to resist, the group gather at the house at the appointed time, when the lights go out and a gun is fired. Enter Miss Marple, who must unravel a complex series of relationships and events to solve the mystery of the killer....

Both Judy Cornwell and Diane Fletcher have distinguished careers spanning over 50 years on stage and screen. Judy Cornwell is probably best known for her much loved portrayal of Daisy in the hugely successful TV sit-com Keeping Up Appearances, while Diane Fletcher is forever immortalised as Elizabeth Urquhart in House Of Cards. They are joined by Tom Butcher (PC Steve Loxton in The Bill and Dr Marc Elliott in Doctors), Sarah Tomas, who played Glenda Wilkinson in Last Of The Summer Wine for 24 years, Rachel Bright ( Eastenders' Poppy Meadow), and Dean Smith (Waterloo Road/ Last Tango in Halifax).

THE MOUSETRAP

glalonzo0408 — Tue, 17 Sep 2013 01:59:49 +0000

Hello, my husband and I are going to London and would like to see The Mousetrap. Have you seen it? Did you enjoy it? Any suggestions?

And Then There Were None play/book comparison (SPOILERS)

TuppenceBeresford — Thu, 02 Apr 2015 15:54:18 +0000

I finished reading this play yesterday. It was very interesting to see all the adaptions Agatha Christie had made in order to adapt it into something more suitable for a theatre audience. For the most part I liked the changes.

The dialogue seemed much snappier - I'd need to check the novel to see how much of the dialogue was in the original novel. It could be that it seemed snappier because there was little description and no inner thoughts but it seemed as though there was more humour and while the characters were still themselves as far as I remembered, they were more strongly defined..

The attraction between Philip Lombard and Vera Claythorne did seem to be hinted at in the book but it seemed much more pronounced in the play. I really liked this as it makes the situation slightly more desperate if some of the characters genuinely liked each other.

Apart from the ten, there was one other character, Narracott, who was in the play. I assume he was there as a possible suspect but his lines didn't seem to add anything dramatically to the play. Maybe I'm wrong.

The books ends with someone reading a letter from the murderer which wouldn't have worked well onstage. For the play this was changed to someone explaining how they did it. I liked the fact in the original novel that the last two characters died without knowing who the murderer was but this wouldn't have been possible in the play so I think under the circumstances, the revelation probably couldn't have been made in a better way. It would have been unsatisfactory if the murderer had told the audience about it instead.

But the actual ending, where it's revealed that the murderer isn't completely successful, was a disappointment. It was actually the ending I was kind of secretly wishing for but if I'm secretly wishing for an ending, all that means is I care enough about the characters to want them to be happy. The important thing is for the ending to be right. But perhaps if I saw it onstage rather than reading it, I'd feel differently. I realy enjoy reading plays but they're really designed to be seen.

Unexpected Guest

StathisZavitsanos — Thu, 30 Jan 2014 12:19:56 +0000

In this story AC's game was unfair, don't you think?

"Witness for the Prosecution" - Stockport Garrick 31 Jan - 7 Feb 2015

Stockport Garrick — Sun, 18 Jan 2015 18:55:50 +0000

The Garrick Theatre in Stockport, Britain’s oldest “little theatre”, will be hosting a production of Agatha Christie’s “Witness for the Prosecution” between 31 January – 7 February, 2015.

Members of this forum probably know the plotline better than we do, but for the sake of completeness, here it is:

“England circa 1946, with all the social turmoil, heady excitement and uncertainty of the time, Leonard Vole, a man of charm and ambition, but hard up, is back from the war with his German bride. He has cultivated the friendship of Miss French, a wealthy older woman. When Miss French is murdered, Leonard is the primary suspect. In desperation, he seeks the help of the great barrister, Sir Wilfrid Robarts. With the cards stacked against him, Sir Wilfrid must use all his wits to establish Leonard’s innocence.”

“Agatha Christie pens another intriguing tale with all the twists, turns and memorable characters for which she is renowned.”

The Garrick is a 151-seat theatre located at: Exchange Street, Stockport, Cheshire, SK3 0EJ. Although an amateur theatre, audiences and visiting professionals inform us that our productions compare favorably to the smaller professional venues in the north-west. We provide free secure car parking at Applicon House, Exchange Street, on show nights between 6.30-10.45pm.

Tickets are £9.50 (£8.00 conc) each and can be ordered from http://www.stockportgarrick.co.uk/whats-on or by phone on 0161 477 7779. Booking fees apply to online and telephone transactions. Tickets for Monday’s performance are offered on a “two-for-one” basis (cheapest ticket free) but these are selling fast.

Tickets can also be purchased in person from the Garrick Box Office on Tuesday nights between 7.30-8.30pm or at the Plaza Box Office in Stockport between 10am - 6.00pm Monday - Fridays and 10.00am - 4.00pm on Saturdays. Booking fees are not levied on these transactions.

Please note that the Garrick is currently experiencing an upsurge in audience attendance. Early booking is advised to avoid disappointment (and that’s true, not sales hype!).

Kindest regards,

The Garrick Theatre, Stockport

http://www.stockportgarrick.co.uk

And Then There Were None.

gerry.mccreadie — Fri, 20 Dec 2013 10:34:05 +0000

For Agatha Christie fans in Scotland the above play is on at the Dundee Rep in March 2014

Agatha Christie Plays

Frank — Mon, 14 Apr 2014 05:14:57 +0000

As Agatha Christie Fans I am sure many of you have been to productions of her plays. I would love hear about which plays you have seen and how you rate them. FRANKD

Charles Osborne

Frank — Sun, 11 May 2014 00:54:55 +0000

Charles Osborne novelised three of Agatha Christie's Plays. Versions of Black Coffee (1998), The Unexpected Guest (1999) and Spider's Web (2000), have proved enduringly popular with readers. I was wondering if anyone knew if he had any plans to novelise any more of Agatha Christie's plays.

Spider's Web

Moonraker — Wed, 12 Mar 2014 10:07:36 +0000

This is probably my favourite play. I was lucky to find a DVD copy of the BBC version on eBay, and often watch it. Penelope Keith is marvellous as are all the cast. The Hailsham-Brown connection is a little obvious, but still a first rate play.

A Murder is Announced

lachy.a.w — Thu, 07 Nov 2013 22:47:35 +0000

Has anyone seen the recent production of A Murder is Announced? It has just come to Australia and I saw it last night and found very worthwhile. I would be interested to know if anyone has seen it and what their thoughts of it were.