Agatha Christie

Murder On The Nile: An Agatha Christie Whodunnit

Murder On The Nile

Murder on the Nile Rating

★★★★★

Click if you liked this article

2

Agatha Christie’s mysteries are a staple of the page, stage, and screen, but once we know ‘whodunnit,’ why do we watch them again? The great attraction of a mystery is, after-all, the mystery.

Murder on the Nile is Agatha Christie’s stage adaptation of her own novel, Death on the Nile, and many people would have experienced the story in the past, likely through one of the thirteen billion BBC adaptations. But don’t let that stop you from enjoying it again.

When a beautiful and wealthy heiress and her new Husband join a luxurious paddle steamer on the River Nile, they run into past acquaintances seemingly by coincidence. Joined by an eccentric old crone, an emotionally volatile doctor, and a communist aristocrat, rising tensions on the claustrophobic steamer in the Egyptian heat eventually leads to murder. With no one able to leave, the murderer must still be on board. Can they find the killer before they kill again?

The current production at the Genesian Theatre attempts to be a fresh take on this old classic, keeping the story engaging even if you know the outcome. Staying true to the original setting and plot, solid direction by Theo Hatzistergos along with an energetic cast really balances the mystery, drama, danger, and humour in equal measure.

Embedding comedic relief within the most dramatic moments, rather than drawing attention to themselves, was the right choice. It kept the play from becoming too serious while maintaining suspense. I particularly enjoyed Miss Ffoliot-ffoukes’ self-centred reaction to the news of a murder in the room adjacent to hers; ‘but they could have murdered me!’ The role was played wonderfully by Sandra Bass.

The rest of the cast was also superb and everyone seemed well-suited to their character. David Stewart-Hunter as Canon Pennefather commanded the stage with a perfect mixture of scoundrel, advisor, and detective. There were a few moments where the cast seemed to forget a line, but their ability to improvise and roll along until they got back on track was respectable and never caused me to fall out of the story. I doubt most people in the audience even noticed.

Murder on the Nile
Murder on the Nile
Murder on the Nile

The set was a simple but grand depiction of the steamboat’s public parlour, with the ever-present statue of Anubis, God of the Underworld, watching over the cast whilst foreshadowing murder. The audience had a good chuckle as a pot-plant was pulled along in the background to signify the paddle steamer was on its way down the Nile, which I asume was intentionally fun.

The feeling of ‘cabin fever’ intended by Mr Hatzistergos by limiting the set to the public parlour worked well, and also saved the story from losing momentum during a potentially lengthy scene change. The sound design added atmosphere, from the crowds of Cairo to the engine of a steamer on the water. Gunshots and light effects literally made the audience jump out of their seats in fright. Much to their delight. The costumes too, were suitable for the 1950s time period and social standing of the characters.

The audience around me were totally hooked. Those who didn’t know the story were constantly whispering to each other about who they thought was going to be murdered, and then who did the inevitable murdering. You can’t help but appreciate encouraging this kind of engagement. Those who already knew the story enjoyed the strong performances and cheeky humour, along with Agatha Christie’s wonderful dialogue, making this journey down the Nile just as much fun as the destination.

Even if you know whodunnit, you’ll still enjoy this classic tale of jealousy, conspiracy, and murder. Murder on the Nile is currently playing at the Genesian Theatre in Sydney until the 21st of September.

Season: 10th August – 21st Sept 2024
Preview night 9th August
Friday and Saturday nights at 7.30pm
Sunday matinée at 4.30pm

Running Time: 2hrs 15mins including 20min interval

https://www.genesiantheatre.com.au

This review also appears on It’s On The House. Check out more reviews at Whats The Show to see what else is on in your town.

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

Let’s Kill Agatha Christie – Plotting and Suspects in a Grey Room

Lets Kill Agatha Christie

Let’s Kill Agatha Christie Rating

★★★★★

Click if you liked this article

3

I didn’t know what to expect with a title such as this one, ‘Let’s Kill Agatha Christie’. Murder? Mystery? Plot twists, a curious and confident detective, and the Big Reveal at the end? Ms Agatha Christie serves as the contemporary writing adversary to the main character, Prudence Sykes (flamboyantly played by Caitlyn Clancy).

Although Agatha Christie does not appear in this play, her presence is felt – she is in the room, the aptly named Grey Room. Thanks to the director and set designer Gregory George, everything in this room, including the flowers and the fireplace, is grey. We are told that other rooms in the house are all painted different colours. Perhaps the reason the sitting room in this grand English mansion is grey could be because it reflects how Prudence feels inside, her insecurities, or maybe because it provides the backdrop and accentuates the characters’ colourful personalities.

Prudence, a prolific author of many novels (27, not 28 as one was rejected by her publisher) craves success as her crime novels have not reached the popularity of Agatha Christie. She desperately wants recognition and to be respected as a writer. Prudence hatches a plan. She invites three of her known enemies to her house and plants a script for them to find, giving each of them a reason to kill her.

The genre of the murder mystery thriller is explored, and The Genesian Theatre Company kept the audience guessing as to what was going to happen next. Michael Schell, who created the lighting and sound design, made full use of creating a dark atmosphere, especially with the music that played to open both the first and second act.

As each character was announced into the sitting room by the sardonic butler Tombs (played by Peter J Donnelly) I was already wondering who going to be the murderer.

Let's Kill Agatha Christie
Let's Kill Agatha Christie

Prudence’s guests were all successful – a self-made millionaire named Sir Frederick Belting, a successful poetess named Marjorie Field and a famous actor John Hartley – Miles. Theo Hatzistergos appeared to have fun portraying a pompous and arrogant Frederick, ordering Tombs to get his luggage from his car, (a Rolls Royce,) which he drops into the conversation several times. Natalie Reid returns to The Genesian Theatre to play Marjorie, who tries multiple times to recite her poetry aloud, despite the protestations of the other guests, which made the audience laugh. Bryan Smith brings the actor John to life in the play, giving him a nervous yet quite kind disposition.

A few more characters completed the cast, with Denise Kitching (Montgomery) as Angela Teal, Prudence’s PA, Andrea Blight as the shuffling and stooped Gladys the housemaid, who drew quite a few laughs due to her character’s personality, Brendan Layton as Inspector Murray and Harry Lewis as PC Crockett. Their accents were believably British for most of the performance and the costumes for all characters by Susan Carveth were convincing of the time period.

This play had a comedic element which ran all the way through. Veiled insults thrown at each other and clever quips were woven into the dialogue. Other times the comedy was physical – the top step tripping up the characters became a running theme, and it was funny watching how different characters dealt with this tiresome step.

‘Let’s Kill Agatha Christie’ was written by Anthony Hinds after he retired from making horror movies and published in 1990. It was an entertaining homage to the mystery murder genre and to Agatha Christie.

I watched the opening night’s performance on Saturday May 4 and it ran for 2 hours with a 20 minute interval. It is playing on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays until the 8 June 2024.

The Genesian Theatre 420 Kent St, Sydney. Tickets from $30

This review also appears on It’s On The House. Check out more reviews at Whats The Show to see what else is on in your town.

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

Murder Village: An Improvised Whodunnit

Murder Village: An Improvised Whodunnit

Enter a world of mystery and intrigue where the classic tales of Agatha Christie come to life in unexpected ways. This thrilling new show is back by popular demand and promises to keep you on the edge of your seat with all new improvised tales of murder and mayhem in response to audience cues.

Each performance is a unique puzzle crafted live before your eyes. It’s up to you to piece together the clues and guess the murderer before the amateur sleuth does. With an ever-changing storyline and an unpredictable cast of characters, this show will keep you guessing until the end.

So, do you want to visit the quaint little post-war English town called Murder Village? It’s open to you and 75 other tourists for an hour every night except Mondays for the next four weeks until April 21 for the duration of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Will someone die? Will they have been… um… murdered? With a candlestick or a rope? Will they have been at the centre of an intriguing conflict involving several suspects who all have a motive? Will the detective be assisted by an amateur sleuth who solves the mystery despite the red herring?

I would say probably not a candlestick or a rope (sorry, Cluedo fans) because you and the 75 other tourists will actually get to suggest the weapon in question, and I’m sure you are all much more imaginative than that. Take your phone because if you scan the QR code provided, you can also virtually vote on who the victim and the murderer will be (you have a choice of four) and can suggest the nature of the village event (is it always a fundraiser?) preceding the murder, as well as the clue that the case rests upon.

Murder Village: An Improvised Whodunnit
Murder Village: An Improvised Whodunnit

So, let me tell you a bit about my excursion to the village on opening night. As I climbed the many stairs and entered deeper and higher into the iconic venue, which is the Butterfly Club, for the first time, I found myself waiting alongside the other tourists in a dimly lit narrow lounge filled with knick-knacks, portraits, small flickering TV, mirror – the quirky otherness was the perfect transition from reality to the escapism that is Murder Village. The narrow theatre worked perfectly, with tiers that ensured there were no bad views.

Tonight’s host was Miss Artemis Martin (Louise Fitzhardinge), our shrewd whodunnit novelist (Agatha?) and our MC/narrator/unimaginative police officer was Detective Inspector Owen Gullet (David Massingham). We were introduced to Lady Clarissa Spalding (Candice D’Arcy), an excessively wealthy widow and best friend of Marion Kind (Amanda Buckley), a boisterous wartime entertainer.

Eddy (not Teddy) Brewster (Rik Brown), an Earl of Wooster, has bought the rights to Marion’s songs so that only he will profit whenever she performs, leaving her destitute. His respectable butler, Eames Chair (Rhys Auteri), has tarred feathered himself and picked up broken glass with his bare hands to serve his master. Eddy dies on a serving platter with a sharp edge that accidentally, on purpose, severs his carotid in a hilarious death scene. True to the genre, all three suspects are hiding something, but Artemis’s intellect uncovers Lady Clarissa as the murderer, and we are privy to her confession enacted as a flashback.

The population of Murder Village was 84, but now that Eddy is dead and Lady Clarissa is put away, there are now 82 possible people left to entertain you when you visit. So, the plot will be completely different based on your input. If you are like me, you will be so carried away by the fun energy of the performances you’ll have to remind yourself that the actors didn’t know the details of the plot beforehand – it all just unfolds before them, as it does for us. Musician Terrence Mudwater Junior (Jaron Why) improvised the background music on the keyboard (piano/strings sound). This underscored the action so well without drawing undue attention to itself that I had to remind myself someone was playing.

So, enjoy your excursion to Murder Village! I know I did.

This review also appears on It’s On The House. Check out more reviews at Whats The Show to see what else is on in your town.

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

Classic Agatha Christie Whodunnit – The Hollow

Mention Agatha Christie to anyone, and you know you’re in for a classic Whodunnit mystery. With such a prolific author and playwright, there’s the usual expectation of interesting characters, intrigue, murder and the pointing of fingers.

The Genesian Theatre Company presents The Hollow, a play that debuted in 1951 and ran for 11 months in London. The director Molly Haddon, herself a very experienced Agatha Christie actor, has assembled a dynamic cast inside a historic Sydney building, The Genesian Theatre. Built in 1945, the theatre lent itself aptly to this time period with its grand wood ceilings and plush, heavy curtains to host this play.

The Hollow opens with three characters, Lady Lucy Angkatell (Penny Day), her husband Sir Henry Angkatell (Vincent O’Neill), and his cousin Henrietta Angkatell (Jess Davis), in the garden room of a wealthy English country manor, where the play is predominately set. They are hosts to their extended family for a weekend, and we are soon introduced to Dr John Cristow (Chad Traupmann), his wife Gerda (Emily Smith), Midge Harvey (Cariad Weitnauer), Edward Angkatell (Thomas Southwell) and Mrs Gudgeon (Emily Saint Smith) the housekeeper.

Adding to this full house, film starlet Veronica Craye (Alannah Robertson) arrives next door, and it soon becomes clear that love in this family is a tangled mess, and Dr John Cristow is right in the middle of it. Another love triangle is also at play, highlighting the follies of blind adoration.

A shot is fired from an assailant offstage, and we see one character fall to the ground. This scene was acted exceptionally well and was the close of the one-hour first act. The second act, running for one and a half hours, introduced Inspector Colquhoun (also played by Chad Traupmann) and Sergeant Penny (Natalie Reid), who lead an investigation into who committed this crime with a list of suspects forming in the audience’s minds.

Director Molly Haddon immersed the audience in the time period with her set design for The Hollow. It had a genuine 1950s post-war look, with careful touches such as round light switches, period vases, golden photo frames and even a magazine with 1950s film stars on the cover. I loved the painting that hung above the fireplace, which represented Ainswick, a childhood home of the cousins. One scene involving a round-dial telephone and a telephone operator (with appropriate lighting by Cian Byrne) gave us a nostalgic feel. The large floor to ceiling glass doors leading out to the garden provided the room with an open and spacious area which left the actors plenty of room to manoeuvre around the stage.

The costumes by designer Susan Carveth and the actors’ hairstyles were wonderful and reflected upper-class English society. The sound effects were effective and minimal, with the focus being on the music played through the ‘wireless’ – the songs being thoughtfully chosen to match the theme of the scene.

Special mention to Penny Day, whose character Lady Lucy entertained us with her comedic musings with well-delivered timing, Jess Davis with her portrayal of Henrietta, her complexity and depth of character apparent and Thomas Southwell, who played Edward, a meek and mild man with low self-esteem.

The Genesian Theatre is relocating to Rozelle after 70-plus years of entertaining the public with the arts. Go see The Hollow, as it’s one of the last chances to see a live performance in this iconic building.

The Hollow is playing at The Genesian Theatre, 420 Kent St Sydney from 19th Aug – 23rd Sept 2023; Friday and Saturday nights at 7.30 pm and Sunday matinée at 4.30 pm

This review also appears on It’s On The House.

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

Connect Online

Dark Stories True Crime Tours

© 2024 Dark Stories Pty Ltd     ♦     Whats The Show