The Mirror Crack’d By Agatha Christie At The Oxford Playhouse Review

Reviewed by Joanna Woodburn

Miss Marple returns to the stage…‘follow the clues!’ teased the trailer for The Original Theatre Company’s The Mirror Crack’d, from Agatha Christie’s 1962 novel, which is now playing at The Oxford Playhouse. The performance certainly had us guessing right up until the end. It was wonderful to see the theatre packed out for this classic play and there was an atmosphere of real anticipation.

An independent theatre, situated opposite the Ashmolean Museum, in the centre of this historic city, the intimacy of The Oxford Playhouse adds to the success of the production. We were able to park very conveniently and within a short distance of the theatre. The theatre itself is most comfortable and adaptable, with friendly, welcoming staff.

Gently opening with the elderly Miss Marple (Susie Blake) snoozing in an armchair, the dear lady resting her sprained ankle on a footstool in a traditional village in the 1960s, don’t be fooled into thinking you are in for an easy ride! Lights and action – looks can be deceiving – with all the hallmarks of a classic whodunit, the fast paced action never stops.

Following the deadly poisoning of Heather Leigh (Jules Melvin) during a party at the new home of Hollywood starlet, Marina Gregg (Sophie Ward) and husband Jason Rudd (Joe McFadden), Chief Inspector Craddock (Oliver Boot) calls on his aunt, Miss Marple to help him find the murderer.

With clever flashbacks and slow motion replays of crucial snapshots from the party, Miss Marple and the Chief Inspector follow the clues with great sleuthing style. The simple set design is tremendously effective and helps to bring this high notch adaptation up to date and fresh for modern audiences.

With the villagers’ snobbishness about a new housing estate and a shock, horror ‘supermarket’ where you have to go round picking your food, there is the sense that this is a time of change and development, on the cusp between the old and the new. As the play comes to its climax, the themes of regret, loss and motherhood are also explored with sensitivity. This brings character development and depth to the story telling which goes beyond your typical whodunit full of clues and red herrings.

From start to finish, the committed and talented crew really do give it their all. All the actors are masters at the rise and fall of great story telling. Susan Blake plays Miss Marple to absolute perfection, witty, sharp and yet full of warmth and empathy, the other characters feel they can trust her with their secrets. The questions she asks propel the story and the sleuthing forward piece by puzzle piece. Sophie Ward as fading star Marina Gregg rises to the challenge, with a convincing and superbly acted performance.

A brilliant thriller masterfully told but this production gives you so much more, the themes of love and loss are guaranteed to draw you in. Huge congratulations to the cast and production team.

Rating: 5/5
Tickets cost from £10
The Mirror Crack’d by Agatha Christie is on at the Oxford Playhouse, Oxford from Thursday 13 – Saturday 15 October, for more information or to book tickets visit https://www.oxfordplayhouse.com/events/the-mirror-crackd

11-12 Beaumont St, Oxford OX1 2LW