And Then There Were None, Newcastle Theatre Royal

YOU know that you’re in an audience of die-hard whodunnit fans when the relentless deaths in this Agatha Christie classic are accompanied by the sound of laughter. There was certainly a lot to enjoy about this production.

The 11-strong cast features many familiar faces from stage and screen including Paul Nicholas, Mark Curry and Susan Penhaligon. The play is the first that Christie adapted from one of her novels for the stage, its original UK name long-gone due to its offensive nature.

The story is a meticulously-crafted, perfect storm. There is no detective, other than the gathered company, who find themselves on a tiny island off the Devon coast, having been invited separately under mysterious circumstances. They all have at least one skeleton in their closets, it turns out, but then the eight guests and two staff start dropping like the Ten Little Soldiers of a rhyme written out over the mantelpiece.

The setting is 1939 when the novel was first published. The set is a stylish evocation of a hotel which Christie stayed in, all polished wood and a fabulous round window. As the drama unfolds, the stage looks increasingly claustrophobic. The Theatre Royal is the production’s last stop in its two-month tour. The set has acquired some ugly scratches on its journey and these detract from the old-school glamour somewhat.

The cast are fabulous in this. Paul Nicholas, particularly, brings great pace and evokes the period beautifully with his accent while Verity Rushworth sparkles as steely-blooded secretary Vera Rushworth.

The ending of the play has been changed by The Agatha Christie Theatre Company to reflect the bleak ending of the novel. A knock-out evening of entertainment all-round.

* Runs until Saturday. For tickets ring 08448-112121 or theatreroyal.co.uk

Sarah Scott