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For those that don’t know, And Then There Were None is Agatha Christie’s most popular novel, AND the bestselling crime novel of all time. That is quite a large pair of shoes for the theatre show to fill and, along with a packed Theatre Royal, I descended upon Nottingham to see this hugely anticipated ‘whodunnit’… or perhaps better described ‘whydunnit’.

Eight strangers and two servants receive invitations to attend a soiree at Soldier Island, though things quickly take an unsuspected turn when the gramophone plays ‘The Swan Song’ after dinner announcing and accusing each and every one of a crime, with each crime leading to a murder, in which justice was never served. A few of these crimes are depicted in a flashback on stage, with the performance of Emily Brent indirectly murdering her young, unmarried pregnant maid, Beatrice Taylor being a particularly strong and emotive scene.

It becomes evident that the mysterious and notably absent U.N. Owen, has deceived the group and the faint sense of claustrophobia, and panic, becomes subtly evident though I feel this could’ve ramped up further.

The stage set is a particular strong aspect, playing a key role which becomes increasingly more broken, enclosed, and dishevelled. The contrast of waving loose curtains with an atmospheric waves and seagulls sound by Elizabeth Purnell plays faintly in the background, adding tensions but without being demanded to be heard. Just enough to remind us of how isolated this situation is. Mike Britton’s set design is chaotic and reflects the panic and crumbling hopes, noted in the increasingly flickering chandelier which crashes to the ground and then becomes the final ball drop to the tale.

Understandably, with a cast of ten to introduce and build a backstory for each one, the plot starts off slowly. So slowly, that I felt desperate to check the time a few times in the first act, almost begging for an interval. It wasn’t helped by the need to listen very carefully as to not miss details, and to hear the cast who undeniably did a fantastic job projecting but I did wonder if those further back from the stalls would hear, especially over regular untimely coughs.

There was something off about the tone. There was a undertone of comedy, which although worked well in parts, felt over-indulged in parts, in particular the short-lived character Anthony Marsden who was so comedy-driven he was almost cartoonish. The loud laughter from the audience felt particularly uncomfortable, awkward and out-of-place at this point and massively deterred away from building the suspense and tension at a pivotal moment of the start of the deaths. Perhaps this laugh from the audience was misplaced, or maybe it was the consequence of the lack of hostility and overdone comedy in respect to the opening scenes which in turn created a sense of distance between myself and the storyline at such a crucial build up,

Though, as the play progresses and the suspicions become greater and the cast becomes smaller, the pace ramps up and the tension and panic does rise. It was almost a completely different play after the interval in terms of pace, and panic.

There are a few notable stand-out performances who drove the play forward with expert craft. Holby City’s Bob Barrett was incredibly strong and convincing as Dr Armstrong, being the right amount of an ambiguous nervous-wreck to give enough suspicion as to whether his hands are redder than he cares to admit. David Yelland was astounding in his role on a great level of class and sophistication as retired Judge Wargrave, whilst Joseph Beattie was incredible as the cocky and arrogant yet often misunderstood Philip Lombard. His animal work was truly spectacular, highlighting the psychological turmoil and accentuating the animalistic behaviours he is given. I do also want to mention Sophie Walter, who takes on the role of the new secretary Ms. Claythorne. Her growth from flirty aloof young lady to fear to flight to breakdown grows and evolves as the play progresses.

What is particularly impressive about the theatre show is suspicion is at its peak. Nobody isn’t a suspect, there aren’t any slip ups in script writing to giveaway the final puzzle piece, but also, thinking back retrospectively, it’s a brilliant piece for thinking what had happened and what had been said and how they were clues that just went amiss, and how each character became suspect number one at some point.

And Then There Were None is a psychologically thrilling and complex theatre play which will strike a conversation and get people thinking, talking, and then thinking some more. Whilst this production isn’t perfect, it’s a thought-provoking play with some truly outstanding scenes.

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Theatre Royal, Nottingham
UNTIL SAT 27 JAN

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Age restriction: 12+, under 14’s must be accompanied by an over 18.
Show warnings: The performance features occasional on-stage smoking, strong language, gunshots, flashing lights, and violence. This show contains themes of death, grief, guilt, depictions of murder, and on-stage hanging.
Running time: 2 hours and 35 minutes including a 20-minute interval. Act 1: 1h15mins, Act 2: 55mins.