|
 Before seeing any production that I plan to review, I go through an exercise of expectation-setting in my head. Here’s my abridged version for this show:
Do I know this play? No - and nor did I see the film which was apparently on TV around Christmas.
Do I know the author? YES! Who doesn’t?
What am I expecting of the evening? An entertaining murder mystery with a limited range of fairly stereotypical suspects.
Will I spot the murderer? Having read a bit of Agatha Christie recently, I hope I am attuned to her twisty plotting and can see through any cunning double-bluffs.
In the tradition of this type of mystery, I’ll let you know at the end whether the performance turned out how I thought it would.
Director Dan Usztan showed his true understanding of the genre, setting exactly the right pace for the unfolding of the story. I liked the set pieces where the suspects were helpfully lined up and their recent movements described, so you could consider their motives and opportunities.
Jude Chalk’s set was extremely versatile and worked very well with the neat flashbacks to previous actions. Stephen Ley’s lights helped delineate the different areas, making it really clear what was going on – that is you could easily tell when you were seeing stuff that happened previously that now needed to be interpreted in the light of subsequent events and revelations – always helpful in a murder investigation.
The performances were a joy to watch. Highlights were Alison Liney excelling as Miss Marple, and bringing real depth and emotional substance to the well-loved, and much portrayed character. Lucy Moss, as Marina Gregg, was touching and vulnerable. I loved Sangita Modgil’s portrayal of Dolly Bantry - with her snobbish and hilarious delivery of some cracking comic lines.
Of the men, Sebastian Crispin was delightful as the earnest Inspector Craddock. The interplay between him and Miss Marple was excellent – giving us a real sense that they had had a long and fond association. His affection (and occasional irritation) with his godmother were beautifully played. I enjoyed Eduardo Pellegrinello as Giuseppe Renzo with his excellent comic timing - and was sad when he came to a Bad End after having briefly been in the spotlight as Chief Suspect.
Haidee Elise’s costumes looked great – giving a real sense of time, place and social standing. The comment about women wearing trousers caused considerable audience laughter.
In the final analysis, at one level, the production offered up exactly what was expected: A compelling murder mystery which is solved by Miss Marple and her astute understanding of human nature. However, there was a lot more to it than that. We learned about the unsettling nature of societal change in the early 1960s for traditionalists (personified here by Dolly Bantry), the misery of growing older and becoming dependent (through Alison Liney’s touching portrayal of the injured Miss Marple). Other rich and thought-provoking themes - how fame and glamour can’t protect you from heartbreak, how you can never really escape your past. Agatha Christie is truly the virtuoso of suspenseful storytelling informed by psychological insights.
And despite my close and recent readings of Agatha Christie, I didn’t guess the murderer. Though I had a lot of fun discussing it in the bar during the interval.
The other thing I look for is whether I believe that the characters have a life outside of the play – which is (for me) a solid indicator that they are well drawn and that the piece has some kind of truth at its heart. Rachel Wagstaff’s sensitive adaptation of the story did bring that aspect for me – and I was left hoping that Miss Marple would be back to full mobility soon, and wondering how Dolly would continue to manage in a modern age that she is beginning to find troubling as the previous social order begins to break down. Of course for a number of the characters, there wasn’t going to be a life beyond the play – but that’s murder mysteries for you.
The Mirror Crack’d was a splendid start to the year at the Tower Theatre, and it’s pleasing that it was so well-attended at a time of year when people are more inclined to hunker down with Telly Crime. I am looking forward to lots more absorbing dramas as the year progresses.
Photography by Pau Ros
|
