Fareham Musical Society stages an Agatha Christie classic at Portsmouth's New Theatre Royal

It’s one of Agatha Christie’s best-known murder mysteries, and Fareham Musical Society’s award-winning drama wing is bringing And Then There Were None... to Portsmouth.
And Then There Were None... by Fareham Musical Society is at New Theatre Royal, Portsmouth from January 27-29, 2022And Then There Were None... by Fareham Musical Society is at New Theatre Royal, Portsmouth from January 27-29, 2022
And Then There Were None... by Fareham Musical Society is at New Theatre Royal, Portsmouth from January 27-29, 2022

Ten strangers are lured to a small island off the coast of Devon by a non-existent host.

But each of these strangers hides a secret; one that will be the death of them as cut off from the mainland, one by one they meet their end.

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Why have they been brought here? Who is responsible? And will any of them survive?

The novel was first published in 1939 and has since gone on to sell more than 100m copies.

In recent years FMS has built a reputation for its thrilling Christie adaptations.

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The Guide caught up with Jonathan Redwood who directs and plays Philip Lombard in the play.

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‘This is actually the second time we've done this one,’ says Jonathan, ‘We did it first in 2015 in Ferneham Hall.

‘We've done six Agatha Christies now, and this was the first of them. We thought as we're in a different venue this time, it would be a good chance to revisit it.’

Jonathan has directed all six of the plays, and says: ‘We're doing another Christie in the Ashcroft (arts Centre in Fareham) in June.

‘They are popular. There are loads of plays we'd like to do, but we have to present something which will bring as big an audience as possible, and she's a name which is still known and enjoyed.

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‘And they're so well written that they're really fun to do and I can only gather from audience reaction that they're fun to watch as well.’

With its cast of 10, Jonathan says it’s actually smaller than average for their productions, ‘but it's actually more complicated than the other ones, because you get a lot of people on stage at the same time.

‘In a large proportion of act one you've got 10 people on stage at once, which presents challenges for directing – keeping everyone busy and doing their bit.

‘Normally you usually only got large scenes like that in the denouement at the end of the play where the murderers are revealed. But in this one the cast gets smaller as you go through.

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‘It's become a bit of cliché in film and television over the years – you have this group of people stuck in a location, and one my one they disappear. Of course, this is where it began. When this was first published as a book in 1939, it was very innovative.

‘It's so easy to do these things and to spoof them which I think is doing the material a discourtesy because the original novel has been called a masterpiece.’

The adaptation was written by Christie herself. ‘She was very good at adapting novels to the stage and making them quite different in a way – preserving the essentials, but also making it different.

‘It's just a joy to do.

‘Even though it's a drama and rather dark, you still have the natural comedy in it as well which she was good at writing. It's not a comedy, but people stay funny things – as people do in real life, regardless of what else is going on.

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‘She's very good at creating characters, and also very good at writing for strong female characters. Many of the best parts in her plays are for women.’

Unlike many of Christie’s most famous works, it lacks one of her famous sleuths – there is no Poirot or Miss Marple.

‘In ’30s fiction, there was always a detective of some kind, whether it was the police detective or the gifted amateur doing his or her bit.

‘But in this one, it was novel as a novel in that there was no detective, and in the stage version, they take it in turns to self-investigate, if you like, it's shifting all of the time.’

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For those who saw the society's original production, the cast is a mix of old and new.

‘We've got some people playing the same role, myself included. We've got some people in it from last time who are playing different roles and new people as well.

‘Hopefully if people do recall seeing it from seven years ago, they will get something fresh out of it.’

And Then There Were None… is at New Theatre Royal, Portsmouth from January 27-29. Go to newtheatreroyal.com.

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