Stage Review - And Then There Were None (Renton Civic Theatre)

Stage Review - And Then There Were None
Presented By: Renton Civic Theatre - Renton, WA
Show Run: April 18 - May 04, 2025
Date Reviewed: Friday, April 18, 2025 (Opening Night)
Run Time: 2 Hours, 15 Minutes (including a 15 minute intermission)
Reviewed By: Greg Heilman

“And Then There Were None”. Five simple words that surely conjure up some sort of memory, or at least an association for most of us. It does for me. Of course it originally refers to the minstrel song from 1869 that speaks of ten individuals, each of whom meets an ill-timed, albeit poetically described, death, leaving none remaining. And while yes, the source of this idea goes back to the 1800s, it’s the 1939 Agatha Christie novel that has really co-opted the story, it being the source of a franchise that includes radio, TV, film, and stage adaptations, more adaptations, in fact, than any other Christie work. It wasn’t always known by this title, of course, and all one needs to do is head out to the Internet to see some of the cringe-worthy names the story has been published under, but it has settled on “And Then There Were None”, and the stage version with this name is the latest to hit the Renton Civic Theatre boards in a production directed by Kim Douthit and running through May 4.

I’ve honestly lost count of the number of Agatha Christie plays I’ve seen over the past three years alone, add to that the ones previous that I acted in, and it’s quite a number, but to date I’ve not seen a local production of And Then There Were None, which is interesting if for no other reason than this is not just one of the most recognized stories from the Queen of Crime, but it’s also one that has just about everything that makes her work so good. The story is bereft of a Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple, though here it’s not because of changes from the book to the stage, as she’s done with others, but rather there’s no room for a central detective in this plot structure. But that’s not to say Christie didn’t make changes from the book to the stage, because she most always does. Here, it’s in the ending, which was re-worked when the stage edition was created in 1943, but otherwise the plot is generally the same among all versions, which makes sense, as the author had a good deal of difficulty putting it together originally, so once she found something that worked, it makes sense that she kept it, well, for the most part at least. She had to build a story in which ten people die, without it becoming “ridiculous or the murderer being obvious”. She’s done quite a good job with that in the construction of the story, and on stage it’s up to the theatre company to carry that on, basically kill off ten people in ways that generally match the methods in the rhyme of what has become the “Ten Little Soldier Boys” while keeping the audience guessing at the identity of the murderer. The cast of 11 in the Renton Civic Theatre production is able to do just that, and while any number of reasons could be at the heart of how they are able to, it really comes down to a group of actors and their director, the portrayals of individual characters, and the ability to work together smoothy as an ensemble. This group has it all. They’re funny, they’re energetic, each one understands their characters down to the nuance of their personalities and physical traits, and together they’re superb.

The story is simple-ish. Ten people, all with different backgrounds, arrive at a mansion on an island off the coast of Devon. The house is tended to by a married couple in service, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Rogers, he the butler and she the cook, though with the maid not scheduled to arrive until the next day, the pair get pulled into a bit more than just their contracted duties. It’s safe to say that nobody, neither the houseguests nor the staff of two, have any inkling about why they are there, or whom is at the heart of the invitation, each having received a letter signed U.N. Owen, a nom de plume which they’re all quick to decipher. When a mysterious voice comes from the gramophone listing each guest along with a specific accusation of murder for each, it only presents more questions, and turns the proceedings into a morbid cat and mouse with what is seemingly an invisible assailant. It’s soon after that when the guests begin falling by the way, one after the other, but who could be murdering all these people when there’s nobody else in the house (they’ve searched), nobody else on the island (again, they’ve searched), and people are dying when the others are in the room together? This is the beauty of the story’s construction, and the cast does a marvelous job pulling this off, keeping the audience guessing all the way until the end.

Thomas Rogers and his wife are the first two that the audience is introduced to. Preparing the house for the arrival of the other guests, they of course have no idea why they’re here, ultimately, other than it’s work and the pay is good. They do know that their hosts, Mr. And Mrs. Owen have been held up and have not yet arrived. This is explained to each of the guests upon arriving of course, adding the first bit of mystery to the proceedings. Jalyn Green and Olivia Robinson play the couple that has been married too long to hold onto any pretense of romantic behavior. It’s all business with these two, and their relationship is largely comprised of one snarky comment made after the other. Jalyn and Olivia are good together, I like their banter, though sometimes Jalyn’s volume varies a bit more than it has to, he doesn’t need to be so loud when delivering the snarks toward Olivia’s character, in fact, some of them delivered with more restraint would land funnier. This isn’t an issue with any other interaction on Jalyn’s part, other than with Olivia, volume and delivery are spot on. Olivia gives as good as she gets, and the more frustrated her character gets, the more entertaining her portrayal is.

The first two guests to enter the home are Vera Claythorne and Philip Lombard. Vera introduces herself as Mrs. Owen’s secretary, though they’ve never met, she says that she accepted the position sight unseen, and Lombard is a former soldier, visibly smitten with the young secretary and extremely flirtatious with her, also dismissive about his role in the war. If there are any real standouts in this ensemble, for my money it has to be Julia Kuzmich and Adam Granato as this pair, Vera and Lombard, respectively. There are no missed steps in either performance, Julia carries herself with the posture of a young, but proper, English woman who would fit in among the wealthier set, her accent consistent and delivered with precision. Vera is excited, excited at the prospect of what this adventure holds and at the prospect of this adventurous young man fawning over her, but when things get serious, she’s also not one to panic. Adam, meanwhile, feels like a throwback in the way he plays Lombard. I’ve not seen an actor encapsulate the nuance in movement, the speed in delivery, and the heightened expressions and gestures of the 1930s acting style the way he does in this role. It’s in the way he flirts with Vera, how he challenges the other characters, and the certain way he pulls his jacket back to brandish a revolver, each action has a certain classic feel to it, and his resemblance to a movie character who has jumped off the screen in the middle of a pre-code film is made complete by his increasingly disheveled look as the play progresses. The costumes don’t hurt, either. Eleanor Withrow and Noel Pederson have put together a collection of clothing worn by these actors that are just about perfect for this piece and its time period. The servants costumes worn by Jalyn and Olivia in their roles are solid, while the costumes that Julia and Adam wear surely add to the personalities of their characters. That more and more disheveled look I mentioned from Adam is a great use of the costuming to help present the mood of the story, while Vera’s are an excellent complement to her character. And finally, on Adam and Julia, I have to say how well they work together, they have a really nice chemistry on stage and an easiness about their interactions.

Next to enter the house is Anthony Marston, casually dressed, outgoing, and carefree. Played by Joshua Erme, Marston is a lighter character, a fun character, one who enjoys life and Joshua feels like a breath of fresh air against the other more stodgy folks in the room. William Blore is next, South African, well, until he isn’t, and played nicely by Tadd Morgan. It turns out, like every single character in every single Agatha Christie story, Blore isn’t exactly what he seems at first, not only is he not South African, he’s actually an ex-cop turned private investigator. As a result, once the body count starts to add up, Blore steps up, along with retired Judge Lawrence Wargrave, played by Eric Hartley, to take the lead in trying to figure out what is going on and who is behind bringing these people to the island mansion to inevitably kill them all, if that’s what is really happening. Tadd’s is a tale of two characters, the South African version, who is over the top in personality and volume, whose timing is not the best as he sneaks up behind the others before introducing himself, loudly, and who is full of energy, and the English investigator who is more subdued, more measured, but still full of himself. I feel as though Tadd speaks toward the audience a bit too much when he’s explaining his theories to the other houseguests, when he could look more at the other actors and speak to them, his ability to project good enough to overcome his facing pretty much any direction on stage, but otherwise it’s a strong and entertaining performance from him. And for Eric’s performance as the retired Judge, this is by far the best I’ve seen from him out of the many roles he’s taken on over the past few years. He seems relaxed, extremely comfortable with the character, and he brings more stage presence than in previous performances, at least the ones I’ve seen. This is a character that feels a lot like a fulcrum on which this ensemble balances, or like a keystone, in any case a steadying influence, one responsible for being the voice of reason among the chaos, and what Eric brings to it is a steadiness and a maturity that fits it very well.

After Blore is the old and somewhat confused General Mackenzie, played by Dale Bowers, conservative prude Emily Brent (Angela Marith), Eric’s Judge Wargrave, and physician Dr. Edward Armstrong. Each of these characters are played to the tee, they’ve each got certain characteristics, whether in their personalities or in their professions that make them suspects in at least one of the murders, which is part of the beauty of Christie’s overall play construction. Each time the audience thinks that one person must be the killer, something happens that redirects that attention. And while everyone in this group shows what wonderful character actors they are, it’s in their pairings, small groups, and as an ensemble when their best moments happen. There is one other cast member I haven’t mentioned, and that is Fred Narracot, played here by Jamie Park. Fred is a sailor, responsible for delivering supplies to Soldier Island, where the Owens’ estate is located, and he’s also the one who transported the guests to the island. He’s not on stage much, but his lilt, along with his Dick Van Dyke-esque portrayal makes the character a memorable one, and his presence is important, almost as much as the lack of it. It’s one thing when the guests learn that there is no phone in the house, but when Fred doesn’t appear for his regular daily delivery the morning after they all arrive, that’s the last straw before they realize that perhaps none of them are getting out of there alive.

From a design perspective, I’ve talked before about there being a standard blueprint for a murder mystery, especially an Agatha Christie story set in a manor house. Very similar to the standard setup for an English farce, the scenic design for And Then There Were None follows this model, with a set that includes the requisite library, bar, French doors to the outside, fireplace, and furniture, including a sofa, table, and chairs. There’s usually also a desk of some sort, but here that’s replaced with an elevated landing that has a small settee and two additional chairs. This set also differs in the amount of empty space in the center area of the stage, which I like, the central focal point in these plays many times is where the sofa and large chair are, along with a coffee table of some sort. Caitlin McCown is the set designer here and by keeping the static areas (furniture, etc.) to the periphery, it allows for more freedom of movement around and throughout the set, which in turn keeps the audience engaged and the suspense factor up. Continuing with the theme of what is the standard murder mystery scenic design is the lighting and sound, from Glen Fritz (Lighting Designer) and Graham Blair (Sound Engineer), who masterfully create a thunderstorm inside Renton Civic Theatre, and Julia Gorordo, who provides all of the props one could hope for in a play that has so many murders, and each one perpetrated differently. Finally, I always like to call out dialect coaches, especially when I find the accents to be done very well, and they are here, especially from Julia and Adam as Vera Claythorne and Philip Lombard, though I like what Eric has done with his Lawrence Wargrave as well. These accents are consistent from start to finish, and they’re especially strong when tensions are at their highest, which isn’t altogether easy. Helen Roundhill is the dialect coach and she’s also listed as the fight choreographer, so while she’s doing double-duty here, her work here on both counts is very good.

And Then There Were None is an Agatha Christie masterwork. When an audience comes to see this play, there’s nothing underhanded about it, they know what they’re coming to see, and yet it still has the ability to surprise. Anyone who comes to Renton Civic Theatre to see its production of this piece, directed wonderfully by Kim Douthit, is in for a number of these surprises as this splendid cast delivers some standout individual performances, as well as a remarkable display as an ensemble, whittling away at the number of guests who have been invited to an island estate by a mysterious host, and the number of suspects at the same time, in a whodunit that, while truly a classic still feels fun, funny, and fresh.

Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None runs on stage at Renton Civic Theatre through May 4. For more information, including ticket availability and sales, visit https://rentoncivictheatre.org/.

Photo credit: Colin Madison Photography