I liked the way he artfully conveyed his loving tolerance of his quirky wife, Lady Angkatell! And she was played by Anne Wheeldon. I particularly liked her breakdown! Peter Smith, is a real doyen of our local Arts scene, and stepped up to the plate(at very short notice I believe) to deliver a fine performance as Sir Henry Angkatell. Sally Penman gave a very watchable and absorbing performance as the arty, but scheming Henrietta Angkatell. No matter how hard I try, I simply cannot find any notable failings. I know, because I have been there! Well, you can all relax. At this point in a review it is customary for some cast members to feel a bit of trepidation. I never realised we had so many pipe and cigarette smokers and pistol users in Sunbury!. The mood lighting, music of the era, sound effects, furniture and props were excellent, and the cast used them so well, and naturally. And that is a testament to the skill of the cast, crew and director, for nothing less than a very high standard was required to deliver this lengthy and challenging piece and to keep the audience enthralled on a very hot evening. And, much to our delight, there were even a few sprinklings of humour, both in dialogue and actions, to help lighten the intensity.Īgatha Christie’s mastery of suspense and surprise shone throughout. The initial dialogue was gentle but the audience soon became gripped as the storyline developed, and sub-plots of infidelity, envy, rivalry, family tensions and insecurities gradually absorbed us. Emerging into the auditorium we were greeted with a splendid stage set, and the entertainment commenced even before the play started, as the suitably dated announcements of James Ford-Bannister reminded us that mobile phones were not invented during the period that the play was based upon. It was a privilege to be in the audience, and how nice beforehand, to enter Riverside and see that great stalwart David Young back, and carrying out the vital task of Box Office. And, on the hottest day of the year so far, could Riverside Players meet those expectations and cope with the exhaustive dialogue, in their second performance of the day, without wilting? I am happy to say that the answer was a resounding ‘Yes’! Although her legendary writing skills are likely to put bums on seats, the owners of those bums are likely to have very high expectations.

To take on an Agatha Christie play takes courage. We were lucky to have two reviews for our recent joint production with Manor Players for this play.Ĭlick here to skip to the review by Gill Lambourn

The hollow agatha christie play