In it, Darbon captures all the intricacies of Agatha Christie's novel, and, yesterday, just one set proved to be sufficient to fulfil all of the plot's needs: whoever crafted that beautiful 50s living-room really did a great job in transporting us to an era rotary phones and polite(r) suspicions.
I found this version to be sufficiently original to be worth every pound of the £15 admittance, as it captured the light, polite, seemingly superficial comedy that is, in reality, just a veil for complex thoughts, emotions and, of course, intricate plots that are the marks of Christie's works.
While all performances were superb, I had my eye on Mitzi (Helen Pickavance) whenever she was on-stage, as I revelled in her comedic timing and over-the-top performance. Miss Marple's (Trudi Hirsch) rapport with Inspector Craddock (Ted Bullen) was also equally compelling, every bit as sharp as Miss Marple's poignant observations about memory, remembrance and the passing of time.
I just checked: seats are available for all remaining dates. «A Murder is Announced» will run until this Saturday, 15th of November.