Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile
Poirot, I presume…
If you are feeling SAD or are halfway through Dry January wondering why you made that decision, and need something to lift your spirits, you can do a lot worse than catch the UK touring production of Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile, currently on at the Yvonne Arnaud in Guildford. Cleverly adaptedfor the stage by Ken Ludwig and deftly directed by Lucy Bailey, it retains all the ‘Christiesque’ intrigue and highfalutin camp. Mark Hadfield is in the world famous role of Hercule Poirot. Imagine all the extraordinary actors who have inhabited the part, Peter Ustinov, David Suchet, Kenneth Branagh, Albert Finney et al and the temptation to compare is inevitable. My companion’s vote went to Ustinovand I was torn between two, so much so our interval discussion turned into a “Whodunnit” special drawing up a list of pluses and minuses of each contender, with the deciding factor being which one delivered the best denouement, that’s big reveal to you and me.
Back to Hadfield and his colourful colleagues. Although diminutive in stature he has excellent stage presence and charm with an accent made and fine tuned in Brussels which can’t be said about many actors playing a ‘foreigner’. Any Christie stage production will always be compared to the successful film versions, in this case the 1978 classic with the inimitable Ustinov so it’s Homburg’s off to both Mike Britton (set and costumes) and Oliver Fenwick (lighting) for creating an atmosphere and authenticity that evokes the time and place. The baby boomer audience would accept nothing less and another piece of interval tittle tattle was how impressed they were with the look and feel of the production. This being the 1920’s the ship has the classic look of a colonial vessel of the time, a sybarites’ opulent dream with expensive looking props. The period costumes of the societal upper echelons are equally classy, oozing wealth and wanderlust.
The simple parts of the plot revolve around a gathering at the British Museum where the great and the good are bidding adieu to a sarcophagus. Soon to be en route to Egypt along with the various characters who will be on board the ship during its voyage. They are quintessentially narcissistic with egos to match and soon they will put to the test. Murder is inevitable and everybody is a suspect. Cue the sleuth extraordinaire, ‘My name is Hercule Poirot, and I am probably the greatest detective in the world…’ Quite unquote.
A couple of particularly impressive performances include Glynis Barnes as Salome Otterbourne, smitten by failed thespian Septimus Troy (Terence Wilton). She is both teaser and tormentor and plays up perfectly to his delectation. Similarly, Bob Barretin the role of Colonel Race, friend to Poirot with whom he enjoys some choice set piece moments. In truth the whole cast bring the Christie magic of murder and desire to life with an obvious joie de vivre. Bailey’s buoyant, and balanced productionwhich turns the serious into fun and the daring into wit, underpinned by Ludwig’s expert adaptation, is a winner. Catch it in Guildford while you can, next stops include Canterbury, Chichester and Cheltenham.
Death on the Nile (Guildford) – www.yvonne-arnaud.co.uk
UK tour dates – www.deathonthenileplay.com
Photo credit: Manuel Harlen
Exceptional!
Giselle (London Coliseum)
In a lifetime that has spanned six decades I have been to the ballet less than ten times. Last Thursday I saw Akram Khan’s reimagining of a romantic classic Giselle (London Coliseum). It turned out to be one of those experiences that will remain with me for many years to come. Giselle is portrayed as part of a community of migrant workers, the Outcasts, who are separated from the factory Landlords by a huge wall. Her lover, Albrecht, is living a lie as a Landlord but joins her group. It ends in tragedy and she joins the Wilis – ghosts of women seeking retribution on those who have wronged them. Will her love for him save Albrecht from the ultimate vengeance? It is a poignant and compelling retelling of a very painful tale.
Khan’s choreography sets out its stall from the off, a thrilling blend of classical and contemporary Indian kathak with the first half highly modern and physical with thrashing, rolling and galloping creating an intensity and passion that is all consuming. Whereas part two includes far more en pointe work that contrasts powerfully with the haunting tension that continues throughout. Graceful arabesques are broken up by sharp, modern actions that leave you in a state of emotional disturbance.
The cast’s synchronisation and deep understanding of Akram’s choreography is pivotal — their shared intent and connection are what make the performance as enrapturing as it is. And Vincenzo Lamagna’s portentous score, adapted from the original by Adolphe Adam, holds you captive from start to finish — the low droning makes you feel the weight and constraint of the factory workers, whilst sudden yells and fast paced rhythms add to the jarring pain. It is a soundscape that pulsates with vigour and devastation, played superbly by the English National Ballet Philharmonic.
The ensemble work is so well thought out and powerful. Albrecht runs between a wall of dancers searching for Giselle, and the movement is equally impressive and poignant as the mass of bodies separates privilege from those with nothing. Later, the fast, rotating circles of dancers that close in on Giselle after Albrecht leaves her are gut wrenching and heartbreaking, completely engulfing him. There’s a particularly striking moment when the huge wall rotates to reveal the regal cast. The audience falls into almost complete silence as the extravagantly ostentatious costumes are revealed, starkly contrasting the rags of the workers. The performers immediately convey the social divide, showing once again the exceptional character work of the cast.
Emily Suzuki’s portrayal of Giselle starts as a free spirit, vivacious and open, before you witness her physical heartbreak and inner turmoil unravel. The movement runs through her from facial expression to fingertips. Even in the most fragile moments, her ability to shift between soft movement and sharp, angular shapes and backbends so effortlessly is remarkable. Her partnering with Martha, Queen of the Wilis (Emma Hawes) is dark and haunting, the two dancers highly responsive to one another, especially when drawing Giselle into the afterlife. So too the male leads, both strong in quite different ways – the factory worker Hilarion (Ken Saruhashi) who earns instant respect through the weight and strength of his movement, while in contrast Albrecht is performed with honesty and commitment by James Streeter.
Unfortunately, the run has now ended but if it returns make sure you see it for this is a twenty first century dance epic in every sense.
English National Ballet – www.ballet.org.uk
Woman in Mind
Sanity…somewhere in the garden
Mere mention of the name Alan Ayckbourn conjures up scenes of laughter and side-splitting hilarity, but I cannot remember the last time I saw one of his plays without wondering about the “what lies beneath” part and what is he really saying rather than the surface fun. I often think that while out and about watching the daily goings on of people in the neighbourhood and when sitting in a coffee shop observing behaviour that may seem odd to me but is perfectly normal for the person carrying it out. A sad case of parochial prurience perhaps but it fascinates me. Set in the 1980’s Woman in Mind (Duke of Yorks) is both melancholic and euphoric, because it is sometimes painfully funny while also being painful looking at the life of middle-aged Susan, a woman struggling with poor mental health and desperate to live a life in which her dreams come true. This is all brought about by an accident that is classic Ayckbourn, an unfortunate coming together of her head and a garden rake.
During her convalescence, as often happens to those who have too much time to think and now existing in a hallucinatory state, she realises that her family are a mess, which deep down she knew without ever acknowledging it. There is her son Rick (Taylor Uttley) who refuses to communicate with his parents since getting drawn in and brainwashed by a sect in Hemel Hempstead – perfectly plausible in the land of the twitching curtains – and husband, Gerald (Tim McMallan) the polar opposite, as dull as dishwater, with the icing on the familial cake, humourless sister in law Muriel (Louise Brealey), who is a picture of neurosis. While Susan contemplates that melange and dysfunction nerdy local doctor Bill (Romesh Ranganathan) begins to show an interest. How will she cope? Not very well realising both scenarios are a travesty. This emotional dichotomy is a yet another stroke of the playwright’s genius at once stoking the fires of desire and desolation. Borrowing from the lexicon of Roman playwright Plautus, the first to use the term, this is a tragicomedy in every sense, and Michael Longhurst’s production skilfully balances the nuances of Ayckbourn’s dip into fantasy and reality, satirical and tragic every step along the way.
I cannot think of a better actor to play the part of Susan than Sheridan Smith, a woman who has battled with her own demons but also has the talent and depth to eke out every contradiction. It is a compelling portrayal drawing us in to being sympathetic even though she can also be a pain and not particularly nice individual herself. When she smiles she has the look of enjoyment bordering madness so as she indulges herself in the warm waters of a life that could have been we are split between her pleasure and her unpleasantness, the inevitable emotional fracture showing Smith at her redolent best. Meanwhile I must confess to being both surprised and delighted by Ranganathan’s performance as Bill who I’ve always associated with stand-up comedy. He creates this bumbling character, a man who is both and nauseating. When he laughs you cringe. A painfully hilarious comedic nut job.
Andrzej Goulding’s video design adds to the trippy retro feel of the piece with projections that resemble rock album covers from the 60’s and together with designer Soutra Gilmour’s they create a floral wonderland suggestive of growth and monkey business. Her colourful costumes, pastel aplenty, look as though the characters are attending a garden party at Henley. Longhurst’s decision to use Patsy Cline’s Crazy as a constant audio backdrop is a nice touch, because though the subject matter is underlyingly serious they are also a collective of everyday fruit loops who will make you smile and wince.
Forty years after its premiere the play remains diverting and insightful and though it is slightly overcooked, and some of the other characters are surplus, the production will resonate with a society which has finally woken up to the seriousness – and sometimes very funny – mental health epidemic.
Woman in Mind – www.womaninmindplay.com
The Wedding
The Wedding (Sadler’s Wells) is a Gecko production, a company well known for producing provocative narratives in a style that combines several theatrical genres and is part of Mime London (previously known as the London International Mime Festival for 47 years up until 2023). It is a lively and visually engaging piece of physical theatre that traces a journey from childhood to adulthood, and the social contracts we accumulate along the way. Beginning in a space of playfulness and curiosity, the performance charts how we become ‘wedded’ to convention: employment, ambition, hierarchy and the expectation to progress neatly through life.
With minimal use of dialogue, The Wedding places the body at the centre of its storytelling. Movement, gesture and rhythm take precedence over words, making the production feel both accessible and emotionally direct. The international cast each speaks in their native language, switching seamlessly from German to English to Spanish. Linguistic understanding is deliberately deprioritised, with meaning being communicated through lighting, expressions and sound, allowing the audience to follow the narrative without needing to decode the dialogue.
The production’s stripped-back aesthetic is one of its greatest strengths. Costumes, set and props are simple but evocative, creating striking and beautiful imagery. A particularly memorable moment sees confetti scattered across the stage, dancing delicately to the performers’ movements. These visual tableaux enhance the dream-like quality of the piece and echo its longing to return to the imaginative freedom of childhood.
The show gestures towards themes of class, love and the rigidity of social systems, asking whether it is possible to step outside prescribed paths and imagine alternative ways of living. However, its central theme of migration, conveyed through broad visual identity tropes, feels occasionally clumsy and lacking nuance. The performance ends with a rhythmic crescendo and a call for revolution. While undeniably stirring, this finale feels vaguely hopeful yet unresolved – offering the promise of resistance without saying much about what that resistance entails. Seventy-five minutes of fascinating performance executed by a company with a trademark style that entertains and provokes.
Mime London – www.sadlerswells.com
Photo credit: Malachy Luckie
