THEATRE REVIEW: AGATHA CHRISTIE'S AND THEN THERE WERE NONE

I was a great fan of Agatha Christie's books when I was younger – I used to steal them off my nan's bookshelf and get through each one in a weekend. So I was delighted when I got tickets to watch Dame Christie’s most popular and best-selling thriller at the Theatre Royal in Windsor last night. Did you know she has sold over two billion books worldwide and is outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare?

This year marks the 125th anniversary of the birth of the ‘Queen of Crime’ and the 10th anniversary of the Agatha Christie Theatre Company. To celebrate both occasions, And Then There Were None (the world’s best-selling mystery ever, with 100 million sales to date) has returned to the stage with an all-star cast for a UK tour – and it gripped me from start to finish. I laughed, gasped out loud, turned to my companion in astonishment and clapped heartily at the end.

It's a great plot – a group of 10 charismatic strangers is lured to a remote island off the coast of Devon. Upon arrival, it is discovered that their host, an eccentric millionaire, is missing. At dinner, a chilling recorded message is played accusing each of them in turn of having a guilty secret, and by the end of the evening, the 10 guests become nine. Stranded on the island by a torrential storm and haunted by an ancient nursery rhyme, things become very tense as one by one the guests begin to die. And with only the fallen believed to be innocent, who amongst them is the killer?

It's a slow start, but clever the way all the characters are introduced, and it picks up pace as the show keeps you guessing whodunnit all the way through... was it judge Sir Lawrence Wargrave, played by West End and TV star Paul Nicholas with his mellifluous voice? Or was the murderer retired police inspector William Henry Blore, portrayed by Colin Buchanan (Dalziel and Pascoe) so convincingly? My friend thought the women were guilty suspects – secretary Vera Claythorne played by Verity Rushworth (Emmerdale) who looked stunning in a backless dress, or eccentric spinster Emily Brent played by Susan Penhaligon (Bouquet of Barbed Wire). We were pleased to discover Mark Curry from Blue Peter was playing the part of Dr Armstrong, plus other famous names in the show include Frazer Hines (Doctor Who, Emmerdale) as Rogers and Ben Nealon (Soldier Soldier, Doctors) as Philip Lombard – who had amazing energy on stage.

The characters are all really likeable and you don't know who is going to die next, so it sent a few tingles down my spine as slowly, they were killed off in inventive ways. I won't give the game away, but you'll enjoy the twist at the end!

The cast were truly brilliant at portraying the paranoia that descends, and you could feel the tension in the theatre. I was pleased there was a satisfying conclusion. Well done to diretor Joe Harmston! This show is well worth a watch.

On at the Theatre Royal until 24th January 2015. www.theatreroyalwindsor.co.uk

For tickets and tour dates, visit www.kenwright.com