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| Value for Money | 8/10  |
|---|---|
| Overall rating | 10/10 |
Full review by
degbert
on 7th Mar 2008
User Rating : 10
Respect :
0
Good Points: A Christie thriller played by a stellar cast in a fantastic little venue, just brimming with heritage, tradition and charm.
Bad Points: The whole thing might seem slightly anachronistic; you could level that at theatre in general anyway, and it wouldn't be fair to single out this play.
General comments: It is even a thrill turning up! The St. Martin's Theatre is thoughtfully located nowhere near St. Martin's Lane (which itself is in Threatreland), but rather in West Street just off Charing Cross. To be honest, however, it is easy enough to find and only a short stroll from west end tubes (we got out at Picadilly).
The building is a charming old theatre, quite petite by some standards, but that adds to the dark atmosphere of the play that unfolds. Despite holding less than 500, the St. Martin's offers good seating and the plus is that you can see the stage fantastically well from pretty much any vantage point. Dress circle is the best choice but I watched it from the stalls a few years back and that was perfectly ok too.
The Theatre staff are excellent throughout, fast drinks service, helpful assistance, and an almost reverential level of professionalism; quite old-school and certainly appropriate for the occasion, but even then it was a pleasant surprise.
So the play itself is a classic Agatha Christie whodunnit, but one that hasn't been committed to book or film with the same treatment as the others - you won't see Joan Hicks or David Suchet solving this particular mystery on ITV3 any time soon!
It centres on a country hotel, Monkswell Manor, where the hosts (the Ralstons) and residents are informed by local police of a brutal murder in London and of a direct link to the manor and one, or more, of its current residents. The local police show up to investigate ...
What unravels is a typically complex, fascinating and suspenseful chain of events leading to the eventual unveiling of the murderer.
I can't tell you anything else as you are sworn to secrecy by the cast at the end of the play. Besides, they say there are several possible endings, so you can never be sure...
The original working title was Three Blind Mice, and the rather hauntingly simplistic melody is one of the few a/v effects in use, the director leaving the work of scene-setting to a brilliant set designer and admirable cast.
While several stage and screen luminaries (Dickie Attenborough, Sheila Sim) have trodden the boards during the play's 50+ year record-breaking run, the current cast seem perfectly at ease filling these shoes. I'm told the cast is now changed annually, as the tradition of breaking all records continues (both in terms of the play's duration, but also those who have appeared in it).
My personal recommendation is to go to the 5pm show on the Saturday, giving you plenty of time to amble around for a meal afterwards. Lhe later showing has its downside - after a biggish feed, you won't enjoy it as much, plus you have to find the time to eat early and still get to West Street in time to take your seats. The early show takes the stress out.
Great cast at the moment, Mollie Ralston very believeable and Paravachini (sp?) charmingly risible (the character, not the acting ability!), go to see it before they finally bring the curtain down on this most British of British traditions.
degbert's review and ratings | 570 words
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