‘And Then There Were None’ review
‘truly an unmissable Halloween treat, with a superb cast that features in the limelight of a fabulous production team’
Doors close, lights dim, and murder ensues.
Sixth Side Theatre Company’s production of And Then There Were None transports audiences to the remote enclosure of Soldier Island. The intimacy of the set perfectly encapsulates the isolation fundamental to Agatha Christie’s narrative, as the judgement of ten not-so-innocent victims unfurls in a tale both gory and harrowing.
The direction of Joshua Brooks and Darcy Kent is clear throughout in the consistency of tone and style. The play handles itself seriously, whilst utilising a sense of black comedy adeptly to expose the underlying insanity of the orchestrated spectacle. This respect for narrative combined with imaginative play is heightened by the quality of production, as well as the use of lighting and blackout to intensify the emotions of the scene – skilfully managed by Layla Rodrigues.
Equal to the brilliance of set and production, the cast of Sixth Side’s And Then There Were None are excellently characterised and emotive. In the role of General Mackenzie, William Bradley seems to age an excess of fifty years, entirely morphing physical and oral presentation to perfectly embody the old gent. Olivia Saunders and Tom Oakes electrify the performance with their chemistry as the leading pair, Vera Claythorne and Captain Lombard, becoming explosive at points of high tension. It is with particular mastery that Ross Killian exemplifies the character of Judge Wargrave, perfecting an exactness of mannerism and speech that truly enthrals, a performance that is utterly sensational. The height of mystery is artfully grounded by the selective use of bleak comedy in Jasper Kyriaksoundis’ performance of Detective Blore, whose range is praise-worthy.
Such stand-out acting is supported by the brilliance of the wider cast, who operate seamlessly to transfix audiences. Sam Garratt conveys nervousness itself in the ironically anxious nerve-specialist Dr. Armstrong, and Alice Barr skilfully embodies the dogmatic religious hypocrite of Emily Brent. Ellie Kinch and Ben Oliver reverberate in excellently responsive acting that perfectly suits the submissive and entwined house servants of Mr and Mrs Rogers, while Oscar Dunnfield-Prayero is hilarious as the out-of-touch hedonist Anthony Marston.
Sixth Side’s production of And Then There Were None is truly an unmissable Halloween treat, with a superb cast that features in the limelight of a fabulous production team in Laura Turnball, Amee Joshi, and Finty Hefron. The atmosphere is such that audiences hold a bated breath, released in an audible gasp at the inevitable Christie-twist which closes the play. Gather your ghouls and make your way to Trevelyan College for an unmissable performance by Sixth Side this All Hallows’ Eve.
By Freyja Hollington.