Currently on stage at Cardiff’s New Theatre, And Then There Were None is one of Agatha Christie’s most famous novels, first published in 1939 (under a more racially unsavoury title) with over 100 million copies sold worldwide since. Taking its present-day title from the last five words of the macabre poem which opens the book, various adaptations across stage and screen have followed: many famous faces have relished appearing in a Christie play, from Charles Dance and Sam Neil to Miranda Richardson and Aiden Turner.
By all accounts one of Christie’s most difficult novels to write, it remains one of her most inventive thrillers, too. As with her oeuvre in general, this stage adaptation of And Then There Were None opens with an intriguing premise: a group of 10 strangers are invited to spend the weekend on the secluded Soldier Island by an unknown host. Once introductions have been made and polite small talk abates, it becomes apparent that they are all connected in some dark and mysterious way.
We meet the cast as they arrive at the house and it’s not long before nerves start to shred and the drinks flow. What do the 10 toy soldiers on the dinner table signify; why are there only two staff in the house? As the rhyme starts to unravel, dark secrets come out and the body count rises, questions are asked: who are the mysterious couple that own the mansion, and why were they not there to meet their guests?

Set in a contained space on stage, And Then There Were None highlights the fragility of its era: at the onset of World War II, people were living with uncertainty and fear, and space between haves and have-nots exacerbated, exposing prejudice, cowardice and guilt. The result is a clever, dark and brutal exploration into the human psyche, and the lengths humans will go to protect themselves – and, ultimately, destroy each other.
The cast of this production brings this story of impending doom to the audience with a sense of dread from the opening scene onwards, assisted by seductive lighting, a minimal set and haunting music. Christie’s work is deftly handled and the cast ably navigate the script and nuances of her words.

An eerie and authentic adaptation, even after 85 years And Then There Were None can resonate with a contemporary audience – even if the one at the New Theatre this evening in Cardiff proved irksome with their continuous noisy fidgeting and rustling of sweet packets.
And Then There Were None, New Theatre, Cardiff, Tue 19 Mar
On until Sat 23 Mar. Tickets: £26-£45. Info: here
words ANTONIA LEVAY