And Then There Were None At The Mayflower Theatre, Southampton Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Lily D
I have always been an enormous fan of Agatha Christie so I was thrilled to be invited to review her suspense-filled play entitled “And Then There Were None” at the beautiful Mayflower Theatre in Southampton.
And Then There Were None is the story of 8 strangers, all of whom have been invited to a remote island off the coast of Devon by their hosts, Mr and Mrs Owens. We are also quickly introduced to the additional 2 strangers, a couple on the island who are employed as their Butler and Cook, to tend to the needs of the guests. An innocent invite turns out to be the introduction of the mystery as they soon discover all is not as it seems.
The opening of the play introduces us to our house guests, a wide mix of individuals. This part of the play is quite slow as we begin to understand more about each of the individuals trapped on the island but it soon builds to an exciting pace.
Directed by the fantastic Lucy Bailey, we knew the play was in good hands. With clever stage planning from set designer Mike Britton, we are able to imagine we are on the island with the guests, rather than just merely observing from a distance. With slow-motion scenes and flashing lights, the play is brought to life providing audience members with a tense but thrilling evening of entertainment. The finale drew more than a few gasps – I can’t remember a time where an audience was so quiet; you could have heard a pin drop.
The cast do a superb job bringing the characters to life; one might suggest that it is a shame their parts are ended quite so quickly, one by one. Most deaths take place away from centre stage so we aren’t treated to the gore one might expect from a TV production, however this adds to the drama and extends the space we imagine our guests inhabiting.
Vera Claythorne, played by Nicola May-Taylor was fantastic in the role of the innocent, newly recruited secretary. She takes front and centre when required however still has a great stage presence even when not directly in the main conversations. Bob Barrett played a well convincing ruffled doctor and we soon took a dislike to the young, flash Anthony Marston, played by Oliver Clayton and his fast set of wheels! One final stand out for me was our retired detective William Blore played brilliantly by Andrew Lancel. Originally hiding his true identify, “Davis – I’m, Davis” soon became a much loved character always requesting food and bringing the comedy to the whole ensemble.
This is a cleverly written play as one might have come to expect from the Queen of the Crime Thriller but it does give audience members space to consider. We are left wondering whether the outcome was in fact justified? Without the introduction of a crime solver such as with other stories and plays written by Christie, we are invited to reflect and become judge and juror ourselves. It’s a lot of responsibility but I for one am very happy to take it on!
Rating: 5/5
The show is running from Monday 8 – Saturday 13th April 2024
For tickets please visit: www.mayflower.org.uk
Tickets start at £17.50