THE Queen of Crime's most baffling murder mystery is without question a timeless masterpiece.
Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None sees ten strangers summoned to a desolate island at the whim of a homicidal maniac, who picks them off one by one in an act of bloody revenge.
Each of the ten harbours a dark secret and each are brought to account during a three-day stay of terror on Soldier Island.
Haunting them at every turn is the children's nursery rhyme Ten Little Soldier Boys, in which each of the boys meets a different demise, as ten eventually becomes none.
With the killer following the methods of the nursery rhyme with deadly accuracy, the guests, including a former judge, an ex-policeman, a military general and a secretary, are forced to question themselves and each other as the mystery unravels.
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For those who have read Christie's 1939 novel, which she herself termed "unplottable", the claustrophobic tension generated by the guests' isolation from the outside world is key to its success.
The claustrophobia is successfully translated to this stage version, which boasts an impressive cast, including former soap actors Chloe Newsome as Vera Claybourne and Alex Ferns as Captain Philip Lombard.
Gerald Harper, of Hadleigh fame, is scintillating as judge Sir Lawrence Wargrave, and deserves a special mention.
An air of malevolence sets in from the moment the guests start dropping like flies.
Clever lighting and sound convey a darkening atmosphere, and those who make it to the final scenes respond to their situation with growing paranoia and mistrust.
Logistical reasons meant the final beach scene, which is so gripping in the book, could not be included, and those faithful to Christie's original version will notice a slight change to the conclusion to account for this.
For those who know the identity of the killer from the start, nothing is lost in terms of enjoyment. Watching how director Joe Harmston adapts the script to fit three acts containing five scenes is a worthy experience in itself.
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