‘Murder on the Nile’ review
‘a thoroughly enjoyable and remarkably impressive production’
Snow Globe Theatre Company’s production of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Nile was nothing short of incredible; a gripping adaptation of a classic mystery and exceptional in its elucidation of the play’s moral and social commentary. The play begins with a suite of characters arriving for a peaceful cruise down the Nile. Tensions begin to rise when the newlyweds Kay and Simon Mostyn (Ellie Kinch and Jasper Hinds respectively) are joined onboard by Simon’s ex-fiancée Jacqueline de Severac (Sophie Browning), and it is not long before a crisis occurs: shots are fired and one of the cruise-goers is found murdered. From there, things only escalate and it is up to the cool-tempered parson Canon Pennefather (Jack Taylor Torney) to solve the mystery.
Freya Stanton, playing Helen Ffoliot-Ffoulkes, immediately set the expectation for a suite of characters from the interwar English elite, showcasing a character which unabashedly satirised contemporary attitudes and achieving great comedic effect while remaining central to the play’s social commentary. In portraying her long-suffering niece, Christina Grant, Ruby Perry fantastically complemented Stanton and absolutely nailed the rather difficult role given to her by the script of being both a comedic foil and a more serious character in the primary plot.
The final comedy-centred character was the champagne socialist William Smith, played by Tom Castle, who left the audience in stitches as a wonderful comic relief character. He was also a complement to the traditionally-valued Ffoliot-Ffoulkes, portraying the character’s hypocrisy with a self-aware irony – a bold choice which fully paid off.
Two characters represented the working class – the Steward (Merichel Herman) and Louise the Maid (Mireya Morenas). Morenas gave a beautiful portrayal of the uncertainty of a maid who suddenly found herself in a position of power, and Herman’s performance was subtle but effective as the subordinate staff member who seemed to be noticed more by the audience than the other characters.
Hugh Ficardos-Moore played a confident and self-assured Dr Bessner, truly coming into his own in Act 2 as an anchor of rationality for the audience as the crisis unfolded. Ellie Kinch gave a flawless portrayal of the intelligent but fatally flawed Kay Mostyn, giving us a character we couldn’t quite come to like even though we wanted to. The script demanded a surprising emotional range for Kay’s husband, Simon, which Jasper Hinds expertly delivered with a beautiful subtlety.
Sophie Browning’s Jacqueline de Severac showed us the depth that this character can have – her potrayal was indeed looking to cause trouble, but was also rational and likeable, remaining relatable when an antagonist and self-assured when a victim. Browning’s complex characterisation kept the moral questions of the play alive, even as all was revealed.
Finally, Jack Taylor-Torney gave a truly stunning performance as Canon Pennefather. It is not easy to be the reliable on-stage presence that holds the plot together and delivers the conclusion while also portraying a mysterious and eccentric character who is far from a relatable everyman. Taylor-Torney, however, executed this task basically flawlessly, keeping a consistent character that was at once reassuring and untrustworthy, especially coming into his own in Act 2.
The design of this production was also extraordinary. The lighting, designed by Hamish Cambpell, appeared straightforward in Act 1, but the placement of lights allowed several striking effects, with opposing characters such as Kay and Jacqueline being lit accordingly when in dialogue; actors in heavier shadow when they revealed different shades of themselves; characters’ isolation emphasised by lighting; and a beautiful moonlight effect on each side upstage. In Act 2, the use of darker, colder light at the beginning and the gradual darkening in the final scene was simple but infinitely effective.
The fantastic set and costume design by Gabriella Whittley perfectly complemented this. The simplistic set was a perfect backdrop, and was complemented by Zahra Smith’s sound design which provided further setting and effectively underlined tense moments. Illustrative stand-out moments of costume design included the large-brimmed hats worn by a few characters as they arrived – allowing them to reveal themselves to the light already in centre-stage; Jacqueline’s blood-red dress – overt but not obtuse symbolism which contrasted effectively with the mainly blue-grey colour palette; and the decision to have all the men but Pennefather remove their jackets during the more tense sequences – which allowed the play to dip into an exploration of aspects of masculinity. All of the tech, overseen by Bryony Curley as Production Manager with Zahra Smith operating sound, ran flawlessly.
This phenomenal production was brought together by the directing team lead by Laura Turnbull, with Darcy Kent as Assistant Director and Tobyn Thorpe as Shadow Director, who skilfully used their actors’ talents to give moral and emotional depth to a classic mystery, all while keeping it both gripping and engaging through fantastically executed moments of comedy. This was a thoroughly enjoyable and remarkably impressive production.
By Sam Garratt.