It is 70 years since the Sinodun Players was founded and the company is still going very strong. Its best known president was Agatha Christie herself, and it is therefore no surprise to find them celebrating with a delightful staging of A Murder is Announced.
The story starts with a classic Christie set-up. The inhabitants of Little Paddocks in Chipping Cleghorn are shocked to read in the local newspaper that a murder is announced and will take place in their house at 6.30 that evening. Everyone appears to be shocked. Nosy neighbours call by just before 6.30 to see what is going on and – you will not be surprised to hear – someone does indeed end up dead.
Of course, I am not going to say more about the plot and give away the fun. I read the original novel a long time ago and have always admired its cleverness. This stage version was adapted for the stage by Leslie Darbon with Christie’s approval, but not staged until 1977, the year after her death.
The play seems much lighter in tone than the book. Certainly that is the way the director Deborah Lisburne Diacon seems to want to play it, and it is all the better for it. Amidst the tension and mystery, there were plenty of laughs to be had. Marilyn Johnstone is excellent as the iconic Miss Marple, albeit with tongue slightly in cheek at times, more Joan Hickson than Margaret Rutherford. Avril Rangoni Machiavelli rather steals the show when the focus is on her, playing the ditsy and anxious Dora Bunner beautifully. Louise Esplin, all flaying arms and discontent as Mitzi the Hungarian refugee-turned-housekeeper, is terrific fun too.
The rest of the cast had to play it more straight, but they were uniformly excellent. Only on one occasion did someone appear to have forgotten their lines, but when after a long pause Letitia Blacklock (Gloria Wright) got up and answered a non-ringing phone, we all laughed and realised it was “one of those technical failures”.
A nice touch was that each scene ended with a spotlight focused down on one frozen character, slightly arch maybe (plenty of ‘ooohhs’ from the audience!), but it ensured that we couldn’t wait for the next scene to start. Do beg, borrow or steal a ticket. The packed audience loved it and so will you.