Stage Review - A Murder is Announced (Olympic Theatre Arts)
Stage Review - A Murder is Announced
Presented By: Olympic Theatre Arts Center - Sequim, WA
Show Run: October 17 - November 02, 2025
Date Reviewed: Sunday, November 02 2025 (closing)
Run Time: 2 Hours, 30 Minutes (inclusive of a 15-minute intermissions)
Reviewed By: Greg Heilman
There’s something comforting about an Agatha Christie play, and A Murder is Announced, which just closed November 2 at Olympic Theatre Arts in Sequim in a production directed by Cathy Dodd, is no exception. All of the familiar Agatha Christie components are here — the genteel characters with hidden motives, the cozy drawing room with too many secrets, and in this play the ever-observant Miss Marple, sitting quietly while the rest of the guests talk themselves into trouble. It’s a play that feels like it knows its audience and is written specifically for it, and this production leans into that sense of expectation while adding a few creative touches that make it stand out visually and tonally from the typical murder mystery staging.
The story begins when a notice appears in the local newspaper announcing that a murder will take place that very evening at Little Paddocks, the home of Letitia Blacklock. Guests from the village of Chipping Cleghorn turn up, not knowing what to expect or if there’s anything to expect at all — only to be met with gunfire once the lights go out. From there, Christie’s signature blend of misdirection and deduction takes hold as identities blur, alibis are tested, and Miss Marple quietly pieces together the puzzle that the local police can’t.
It’s worth noting that the stage adaptation by Leslie Darbon — first produced in 1977, a good 27 years after Agatha Christie’s novel — makes a few notable adjustments to fit the theatrical form. Several subplots from the novel are streamlined or removed entirely, and the play tightens the focus on the events within the Victorian manor house itself, compressing the narrative into a more self-contained chamber piece. Some minor characters are combined, and the police presence is reduced, allowing Miss Marple to take on a more active investigative role than in the book, where she often operates from the sidelines. The result is a leaner mystery, one that keeps the essential twists and reveals intact while trading literary texture for stage momentum — a trade that works well when the pacing clicks.
What’s immediately striking about this production is its design. I’ve mentioned in many of my previous reviews of Agatha Christie plays that, with few exceptions, there’s a sort of “standard” scenic layout for these manor-house mysteries — the fireplace, the bar, the French doors leading to the garden, and the internal doors that lead to implied rooms like the library or study. Here, set lead Christine Polka keeps all those expected elements but gives them a fresh, visually engaging twist. Instead of patterned wallpaper and wooden wainscoting, she has created something more abstract — a black void of a room where furniture, doors, and windows seem to float, their edges and contours highlighted in bright, almost neon colors. It’s as if the world of A Murder is Announced were illuminated by an old Lite-Brite set or painted inside a Disney “dark ride,” where everything pops in contrast to its surroundings. It’s an inventive and playful concept that makes the space feel new, while maintaining all of the theatrical aspects of a typical Agatha Christie whodunit.
The color story extends to the costumes, with bright hues early in the show that gradually give way to earthier tones as the mystery deepens — a subtle but effective metaphor for the way cheerfulness drains from Little Paddocks as secrets come to light. I particularly like that Miss Marple and Inspector Craddock’s wardrobes, designed by Cathy Wagner and Carol Willis, remain grounded in muted browns and grays, setting them apart from the more flamboyant houseguests. There are also some nice autumnal touches — subtle decor that hints at the season without overwhelming the eye. Rebecca Orozco’s lighting design complements the set perfectly, heightening the sense of tension with well-timed blackouts and gentle lighting shifts when the odd light switch is flipped. Even the sound, generally understated throughout, has its standout moments — notably the gunshots, which are louder and more resonant than typical stage effects, ringing out during one of those blackouts with enough volume to startle even a seasoned theatre-goer.
Moments like engage the audience like that are important here, because if there’s one area where this production occasionally struggles, it’s with pacing, suspense, and the building of tension, each traditionally leaned on to keep a murder mystery audience engaged. Christie’s dialogue is often dense, and timing is key to keeping the suspense taut. While Sharon DeLaBarre’s Miss Marple has the slow, deliberate cadence you expect from the famous sleuth — observant, measured, and always in control — some of the ensemble exchanges feel a bit too careful, as though the cast is waiting for one another to finish before jumping in. Emotional beats at times feel slightly telegraphed rather than lived-in, which softens the tension that should be building scene by scene. Still, the performances themselves have merit. Sharon’s portrayal of Miss Marple is smart and well-modulated, capturing the character’s innate curiosity and sense of quiet authority. Joodie Klinke as Bunny brings wonderful energy and humor to her role, a nice contrast to the more composed townsfolk. Jessie Young as Julia Simmons adds an air of aloofness and a crisp accent that suits her character well, while Amber Tjemsland as Mitzi, the excitable maid, is a standout — her accent delightfully slippery, her comic timing sharp, and her presence always lifting the energy onstage.
Among the others, Susan Cates’ Inspector Craddock gives the production a steady hand, and Janice Parks as Mrs. Blacklock anchors the mystery with an even, sympathetic presence that plays well against suspicion, though I would have liked to see more of a passionate persona in Susan’s Craddock, to help liven the plot and the pace. At times the interrogations seem tedious, or even monotonous. Hayden Pomeroy (Patrick Simmons), August Maberry (Edmund Swettenham), Jacob Kaufman (Rudi Scherz), Kait Saffold (Phillipa Haymes), Karen Twight (Mrs. Swettenham), and Riley Sakelarides (Sgt. Mellors) round out the cast in supporting roles, adding texture to the cast of characters caught in Christie’s net of deceit and discovery.
A Murder is Announced at Olympic Theatre Arts offers their own take on what fans of Agatha Christie come for, and they deliver it with a unique design and some solid performances, which give this production its own identity, proving that even in a genre built on formula, creativity can still surprise.
A Murder is Announced has closed at Olympic Theatre Arts in Sequim, but for more information on upcoming shows, head to their website at https://www.olympictheatrearts.org/.
Photo credit: Mark Klinke
