BLACK COFFEE | STAGE REVIEW
New Theatre, Cardiff, Wed 5 Mar
Hercule Poirot is probably the most famous detective in the world, and given that this production has been brought to the capital by The Agatha Christie Theatre Company, the calibre of performers was assured. The company’s previous tour, Go Back For Murder, was critically acclaimed and this first play written by Christie is one of her finest.
Black Coffee is Poirot’s first appearance and is set in an English country estate where the murder of eccentric inventor Sir Claud Amory takes place in an attempt to steal his new formula.
Poirot, and his trusty sidekick Hastings, arrive to rattle the guests and solve the murder. Robert Powell, who is best known for his roles in Jesus of Nazareth and The 39 Steps, plays Poirot despite admitting he’s not a huge Agatha Christie fan. Still he fills Poirot’s diminutive shoes and interprets the little Belgian in his own style.
Whether you know the story or not doesn’t matter as the show plays out seamlessly with characters building throughout, until the inevitable big reveal. A pleasure to watch by a company that are completely loyal to the Agatha Christie memory.
The New Theatre evokes a bygone age and is the perfect venue for plays of this ilk, the stomach tickling surge of excitement when you enter is always there, which many modern venues fail to stir, purely because they lack the history, style and very often the intimacy. I love the New Theatre and I never fail to leave with a smile on my face and a glow of nostalgia.
words ANTONIA LEVAY
Black Coffee, until Sat 8 Mar, 2.30pm + 7.30pm, New Theatre, Cardiff. Tickets: £10 – £29. Info: 029 2087 8889 / www.newtheatrecardiff.co.uk