Review of And Then There Were None at Norwich Theatre Royal: Classic Agatha Christie murder mystery is very clever and, at times, genuinely menacing

And Then There Were None – Theatre Royal, Norwich

This is one of Agatha Christie’s best-known works and sums up all that’s great about her everlasting appeal.

The plot is tricky, twisting and turning with red herrings aplenty, there’s a bunch of dubious characters, all thrown together in an isolated and menacing situation, and then murder upon murder!

It is creepy throughout, with lots of shadowy darkness, and sees a group of strangers stranded on a tidal island just off the Devon coast.

As is often the case with Christie, the audience quickly discovers that the guests are not quite as they seem, that they all have a secret from their past, and she seeks to impose her own sense of justice.

It’s very clever, and you’ll be hard-pressed to guess whodunnit.

And it is genuinely menacing, as the guests start to turn on each other as their numbers decrease.

The final scene is particularly unsettling as we discover who the murderer is and why they acted with such devastating effect.

The cast is brilliant, especially Sophie Walter as secretary Vera Claythorne, whose bewilderment is almost palpable as the killer strikes and strikes again.

And Joseph Beattie plays a strong Philip Lombard, the soldier who is top of most people’s lists as the murderer with his bombastic personality. But nothing is, of course, as it seems.

The play continues at Norwich until Saturday, February 3. More details on www.norwichtheatre.org

Review by Sarah Hardy