REVIEW: Rivalling Quentin Tarantino for the number of gruesome deaths, the murderously brilliant And Then There Were None is on at the Bear Pit

REVIEW: And Then There Were None, Bear Pit Theatre, Stratford, until 15th June

RIVALLING Quentin Tarantino for the number of gruesome deaths, the murderously brilliant And Then There Were None is performed by the Bear Pit Theatre Company until Sunday. It’s selling out fast, so get booking.

Considered one of the best ever whodunnits, Agatha Christie’s top-selling novel was first published in 1939; she changed the ending for the play version which appeared in 1943; but in 2015 her grandson commissioned a new ending for the play, which is more in keeping with the original.

It was first made into a film in 1945, and various screen adaptations have followed.

Which ending do we get at the Bear Pit? I couldn’t possibly say.

Famously, early versions were first called Ten Little… but that changed to And Then There Were None in 1985 and the noun ‘soldier’ used when the racist connotations of the original title were better understood.

The crime-writer took inspiration for the plot from an 1869 minstrel song, the macabre rhyme details ten deaths, starting ‘Ten little soldier boys went out to dine; One choked his little self and then there were nine’.

Christie referred to the plot’s complexity, describing it as a “better piece of craftsmanship than anything else I have written”.

It follows the story of ten strangers invited to the secluded Soldier Island off the Devon coast.

Motivated by the promise of money and/or a free holiday, they all agree to attend despite not knowing the hosts, the Owens. Ahead of their first dinner on the island and the no-show of the Owens, a gramophone begins to play, revealing the guests’ dark pasts and their involvement in various murders, whether deliberate or through negligence. None of them have ever been brought to justice for their wrongdoings. They include:

Hot blonde Vera Claythorne (sharply and smartly played by Zoe Mortimer), a young governess, who despite being a strong swimmer failed to make the effort to save a child in her care from drowning.

Judge Wargrave (convincingly rendered by Brian Darnley) presided over a trial in which he persuaded a hesitant jury to convict the accused.

Dangerous driver Anthony Marston (whose arrogance and rakishness is captured by Ben Jeffrey) is unremorseful that he killed two children in a crash.

Dr Armstrong, meanwhile, killed a patient while operating drunk (his guilt bubbles away nicely at the surface in Paul Tomlinson’s portrayal).

Eight guests are taken to the island’s only residence, a clifftop house, by boatman Fred (a cheery showing from Barry Purchase-Rathbone) who then departs. The group are met by two servants, the bickering Mr and Mrs Rogers (played with working-class charm by Steve Bizley and Dee Alder, pictured), who are also accused of causing the death of a former employer.

As the inhabitants of the house are mysteriously bumped-off, it becomes apparent that someone among them is seeking retribution. But who?

It is a ridiculous and often baffling story, but also clever and cunning – and this pacey production leaves the poor audience marooned on a cliff- edge of bewilderment as to who the murderer is.

While there may be a temptation to ham up this period piece, director Penelope Sandle-Keynes wisely does not mess with it , and lets the delicious plot unravel with crystal-clear storytelling.

But there is plenty of fun to be had too – I loved the film noir opening, where a spotlight traps the visage and character of each of the protagonists in turn – from quaking servant to imperious judge.

The careful delineation of each of the characters by the assured cast also really sets this show apart.

The dynamic between Vera and Richard Sandle-Keynes’ soldier/adventurer Philip Lombard is especially sympathetically captured, giving emotional drive to the proceedings.

Elsewhere Viv Tomlinson portrays uptight spinster Emily Brent real edge; aged widow General Mackenzie is lent just the right amount of pathos by Phil Hickson; and Graham Mason has fun with the suspiciously chummy William Blore.

Kudos must also go to the set designed by Chris Johns, it conjures perfectly the sense of a grand period house teetering over the ocean as its inhabitants totter towards their deaths.

Finally credit must go to me for revealing zero plotspoilers during this review. Phew!