And Then There Were None – Rhyl Pavilion [Review]

So tonight was opening night of Agatha Christie’s “And Then There Were None” at the Rhyl Pavilion and I was not only lucky enough to see the show on its first night but also caught up a dear friend of mine that is playing Rogers in the show, none other that the lovely Frazer Hines, but more on that later.

And Then There Were None is based on the mystery novel by acclaimed author Agatha Christie, which is widely considered as a masterpiece of literature and was described by Christie as her as the most difficult books to write. The book was first released in 1936 as “Ten Little Niggers“, after the British blackface song which serves as a major plot point, a title which these days would cause a big stir, for the first American edition, the title was changed to the last five words in the original American version of the song: And then there were none.

And Then There Were None At The Rhyl Pavilion

So as I mentioned earlier, tonight was the opening night of the show, it includes a fantastic cast including, Frazer Hines (Emmerdale, Doctor Who, Outlander), Paul Nicholas (Just Good Friends), Colin Buchanan (Dalziel and Pascoe), Susan Penhaligon (Bouquet of Barbed Wire), Mark Curry (Blue Peter), Verity Rushworth (Emmerdale) and Ben Nealon (Soldier Soldier).

The story is a true murder mystery with the characters arriving at a deserted island after they all receive various invitations offering employment or to enjoy a late summer holiday, or to meet with old friends, but there is more to the stay on the island that what they first think.

Once on the island, the owners’ butler (played by Frazer Hines) and cook (Played by Judith Rae), who have never met their mysterious employer, making a total of ten people known to be on the island. While awaiting their hosts, they find a framed copy of the nursery rhyme “Ten Little Soldiers” hanging on the wall, and notice ten figurines on the mantle piece, as well as discussing other oddities about the house and their visit.

After chatting and talking to one another a strange voice rings out in the room while they are talking, the voice describes each visitor in turn and accuses each of them of having committed murder but evading justice, and asks if any of “the accused” wishes to give a defence.

The extremely shocked and in the aftermath one of the guests, Anthony Marston (played by Paul Hassall), has a drink to help with the shock; however, his drink was poisoned with potassium cyanide and he chokes and dies. Subsequently the guests notice one of the ten figurines is now broken, and the nursery rhyme appears to show the way of death (“One choked his little self and then there were nine”).

And the murders have started and no one knows who has committed the murder, not even the audience and we are left to work out who is committing these terrible murders, could it be Doctor Armstrong (played by Mark Curry) or even Philip Lombard (played by Ben Nealon), the solder of fortune, it could be anyone, it could even be someone who is hiding on the island, who knows.

The only way to find out is to watch this wonderful Agatha Christie play and try to work out who is behind these heinous crimes, maybe work out who is doing it, but you may be wrong you may be right!

The evening’s performance for me was superb, the Agatha Christie Theatre Company have done a fantastic job with the set, the atmosphere and they’ve top it all off with a great line up with the cast with the many faces that we all know from stage and screen coming together to put on an enjoyable night, not only for Christie fans, but for those that may have never seen a Agatha Christie based play.

The set is nicely done with its feel of an old house that may need a little more care and attention, with its huge glass windows and doors looking out from the cliff, the room which the play is based in is perfect for the feel of the show and the lighting is spot on throughout.

The sound for the performance sets the scene very well. The sound of waves lapping against a shore tells us even before the curtains have been raised that we have arrived on the island. Later on in the play we have the sound effects for a fierce storm that gives you the feeling of the isolation and fear that the characters are dealing with on island.

The cast all work very well together, bringing us that feel of a time gone by from around the time that the play is based. Frazer was great as Rogers and it did take me a while to realise that Paul Nichols was Sir Lawrence Wargrove, funny how we have images of people from the past and don’t recognise them after not seeing them for years.

Very much like Agatha Christie’s MouseTrap, And Then There Were None will keep you guessing throughout the performance, I heard several people around me shocked when a character was murdered and then thought that was the murderer, a job very well done there in throwing the audience off the trail.

My recommendation for the show, go see it, it is certainly one of those shows that has you thinking while you are watching. And Then There Were None is running from now until Saturday the 20th June at the Rhyl Pavilion.

Blazing Minds Chats With Frazer Hines Before The Show

So many of you will have seen what I tweeted out earlier before the show.

When Frazer told me he was coming to the Rhyl Pavilion, I asked him if he’d like to meet up for a chat and a catch up, it’s been to long since we last caught up with each other, so I recommended the Pier Hotel in Rhyl, somewhere nice and peaceful to chat.

So before the show, Frazer popped round and we caught up, did a little informal interview and had tea and scones with fresh cream, many thanks to the Pier Hotel for getting those in, it was a lovely surprise for Frazer and I when the tea and scones were brought over during recording.

So sit back and enjoy our little informant chat. [Tweet The Interview]

Thank you to Frazer for stopping by, the Pier Hotel for the kindness and to the Rhyl Pavilion for having a great show and cast on for us all to enjoy.

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