Black Coffee at the Regent Theatre Review
Black Coffee
Regent Theatre,
Stoke on Trent
17-22 February 2014
Reviewed by Sean Davies
It was a wet and miserable Monday night when murder most foul descended on the Regent Theatre in Stoke on Trent as the Agatha Christie Theatre Company were about to raise the curtain on their latest production – Black Coffee. The theatre itself was dressed in suitable attire – a red and gold velvet curtain hung regally in front of the stage as ditties from the 1920’s played over the PA system – and the crowd were eagerly awaiting the return of Hercule Poirot to the Potteries.
A chilling violin solo rises through the PA and the curtain lifts to reveal a well-crafted stage version of a 1920’s library, the epitome of a well-to-do families post war home. It looks genuine, as if you were peeping into the library of a real 1920’s home and it all feels very, very British. Seconds later you are introduced to Tredwell, the stereotypical English butler. Soon he is joined by Lucia Amory, an Italian orphan married to Richard Amory, the son of a wealthy scientist. The story starts to unwind slowly at first, as the various member of the Amory family, Caroline Amory, Barbara Amory and Edward Raynor (the family secretary) join each other on stage to discuss the events of a dinner – a dinner that Lucia Amory had to escape from. The mysterious Dr Carelli, an old friend of Lucias from Italy is thrown into the mix and the discussions become more sinister until finally Sir Claude Amory, the head of the household and renowned scientist, calls the entire party of characters together into one room for a cup of coffee – and here he traps them. Here he explains that a formula for a new explosive he had been working on had been stolen and that a detective, Hercule Poirot, was on his way to discover the culprit – but he offered a chance for the thief to redeem themselves. He continued to say that the lights would go out and that should the thief return to formula in the cover of darkness, nothing further would come of it. True to his word, the lights dim and there is a sudden kafuffle on stage. When the lights return, Hercule Poirot has arrived – but Sir Claude Amory is dead.
This is when the plot of Black Coffee really begins to come into its own as Poirot and his trusted friend Captain Hastings try to piece together the theft of the formula as well as the death of Sir Amory which quickly becomes clear was not a natural one and is instead a calculated murder. As the story twists and Poirot continues his investigation into “Whodunit” the spotlight is cast upon each character in turn, every member of the Amory household having their chance to look guilty and capable – although, to the eagle eyed amongst us, the culprit was obvious from the very start (a little too obvious perhaps). Black Coffee is more about Poirot’s journey to the truth rather than the inevitable unveiling of the culprit and every character gets their moment in the spotlight to confess their secrets and, even when not directly linked to the investigation, the dialogue fleshes out the story perfectly, constantly jostling your mind from character to character on who you think could be the villain of the piece. The play is littered with light-hearted humour, partly provided by Miss Caroline Amory, a scatter brained, stiff-upper-lip British lady and her niece Barbara Amory who is a child of the post war freedom, a free thinker and a little bit eccentric. Of course Poirot delivers plenty of his typically dry lines in abundance.
Even though we are probably more used to seeing Robert Powell playing Mark Williams in Holby City, he channels the spirit of Poirot perfectly and his accent was flawless (something that I had previously struggled to imagine). He oozed suave and sophistication throughout the performance and it is the best portrayal of the most famous Belgian of all since David Suchet. Liza Goddard played the part of Caroline Amory very well, timing her lines for great comedic effect. Felicity Houlbrooke provided much needed bursts of energy on stage as Barbara Amory, becoming one of the most likable character performance – especially her chemistry with Robin McCallum (Captain Hastings) which created the biggest laugh of the night.
The one major flaw with the entire production was the projection. My seat was near to the back of the Stalls and every so often, it became impossible to hear what the players were saying on stage. Ben Nealon did a sterling job of playing Richard Amory, but twice during the performance, when he had his back to the audience, I could not understand what he was saying and his words became a muffled murmur instead of the powerful voice he displayed during the rest of the play. When Olivia Mace and Gary Mavers spoke quickly, and with an Italian accent, their voices become inaudible. Perhaps it was the echoing on stage, but it felt like PA system and microphones should have been used to ensure that we could all hear what was going on. On occasions, all it took was to have another member of the audience to cough loudly and you had missed an integral and poignant line.
Black Coffee is not Murder on the Nile. It is not The Hollow. It is not Murder on the Orient Express. It is however, a very good plot and is portrayed excellently by a collection of brilliant stage actors and actresses. For those who are a fan of Agatha Christie, Poirot and that know the story of Black Coffee, this performance hits all the right notes and is a pleasing visualisation of a great murder mystery. If you are not a fan of Poirot’s adventures, this is a great introduction to them and will keep you glued to the edge of your seat as you attempt to figure out for yourself “whodunit”. It is a shame that an otherwise enjoyable play was spoiled by a few projection issues. I would recommend Black Coffee to anybody, but make sure to avoid the cheap seats and get seats near the front.
Rating: 4/5
Tickets cost from £11.90 to £37.90 (plus £2.85 transaction fee).
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