Four little soldier girls off to the Lyceum to see, a new touring production and then there were three. Three little soldier girls looking for a clue, they saw the story unfold and then there were two. Two little soldier girls had a lot of fun, they went home to bed and then there was one. One little soldier girl reviewing what she saw, she wrote her review…And Then There Were None.
And Then There Were None sees ten strangers lured to, and stranded on, the mysterious Soldier Island by an elusive Ula Nancy or Ulick Norman Owen. Over dinner, the ten strangers are each charged with a murderous crime by a gramophone recording. With the house on edge, people start to become desperate as one by one the guests start dying, each to the tune of the ‘Ten Little Soldier Boys’ nursery rhyme. It’s not long until the group realise its only them on the island, with the killer lying in plain sight.
This story is my favourite Agatha Christie tale, so seeing it come to Sheffield was very exciting. And I must say the production was simply brilliant. The depth and effectiveness of the story-telling, especially in scenes that would be difficult to portray on a single stage, the clever use of sound and lighting to highlight (or indeed, distract) attention was phenomenally well done. The set was very creative, with small, dune-like structures upstage left and right to allow the cast to climb a hill or get a vantage point, as well as a thin curtain to effectively give two perspectives simultaneously, which was a great touch. The costumes were incredibly well done, with adaptations made to each to allow you to see how a person died after the event had taken place, and the use of props, particularly the soldier boy figurines, was very exciting to actually see on stage.
This cast were all perfect for their roles in every single way. My favourite performance was given by Sophie Walter as Vera Claythorne, who really embodied this gentile yet powerful character. As the play progresses, she was able to adapt herself and her character perfectly to deal with the changing dynamic, and her physical performance in the final scene is shockingly dark. Another great performance is given by David Yelland as Judge Wargrave. He gives such an embodiment of a classic judge, yet one who manages to engage well with the rest of the cast. The book always sets Wargrave aside from the rest of the guests a little, but Yelland does a great job of fitting in well with his fellow guests. I also want to mention Lucy Tregear as Georgina Rogers, whose dry humour and cheeky remarks always got a laugh out of me.
This incarnation of And Then There Were None is a great piece of theatre that in all honesty reminded me about why it is that I love theatre so much. This show bought one of my favourite stories to life and executed it so well that I am still blown away by it. If you have a chance to catch it at one of its remaining tour stops, definitely go and see it!
Rating: ★★★★★
And Then There Were None is touring the U.K. until April 13th 2024
