RISE’s And Then There Were None Is a Thrill-Ride

There is something uniquely demanding in staging a production of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None. As one of the most well-known murder mysteries of all time, your production must be clear enough for newcomers to follow, and yet still refreshing to those who know it already.

This is the exact challenge undertaken by The RISE Playhouse in Woonsocket with their production of And Then There Were None.

Set on a remote island off the coast of England in the 1930s, 10 strangers are gathered to a decrepit estate by an unknown stranger. Once they arrive, a mysterious voice accuses them all of murder, and, soon after, they begin dying one by one, in a manner consistent with the childhood rhyme “Ten Little Soldier Boys” written on the wall. For example, the first verse reads “Ten little Soldier Boys went out to dine; One choked his little self and then there were nine,” and the first victim chokes to death, as well. Each time a person ends up murdered, another of the 10 soldier boy statues likewise disappears from the mantel. As their numbers dwindle, the paranoia mounts, and the characters on stage ask the same questions as the audience watching them: Who is behind these crimes, and who is the next to go?

To call this story “famous” is a severe understatement. The novel has sold more than 100 million copies since it was first published in 1939, making it the best-selling mystery of all time and among the best-selling books in the history of publishing. There have been 10 film adaptations around the world and several stage productions, including a version in 1944 where Christie herself added a happier ending she deemed more palatable to audiences. RISE Playhouse, thankfully, chose a more modern adaptation that’s far more faithful to the original source material.

When I attended the opening night performance with my son, our little twosome had both types of audience members described above, and I’m happy to say that the production was enjoyable for both of us. As someone who knew nothing about the story, my son was absolutely thrilled by the twists and turns of the narrative, breathlessly guessing and re-guessing the identity of the killer as he was proven wrong and wrong again.

As a person very familiar with both the play and the novel on which it’s based, I found myself fascinated by the choices made by the director and ensemble. As a story so firmly rooted in its time, it’s rare to see any alterations made to the makeup of the cast. However, unique casting choices here allow us a chance to see such traditionally male roles as the judge and the policeman be portrayed by women. This simple change brought some new dimensions to the relationships and interactions of the characters, even if doing so is perhaps a bit of a stretch for the time and setting of the story.

It was also interesting to note how the production team handled some of the technical challenges with which they were presented. As a single-set stage with no curtain, absolutely everything was laid bare for the audience to see, and my son was particularly enchanted with how they chose to remove the soldier boy statues from one scene to the next.

Since the show is so heavily reliant on the ensemble as a whole, it doesn’t feel right to single out individual performances. Suffice to say, as a cast, the performers all coalesced to tell this tricky and macabre story very capably. Together, they displayed a wide range of behaviors and emotions, which served to set them apart from one another (no small feat when the stage is often filled with 10 people at once), ranging from the sarcastic pithiness of Paddy Mahoney’s Captain Lombard to the judgmental severity of Rebecca Tung’s Judge Wargrave. This range of personalities allows the audience to form their own opinions on each character in turn.

Director Michael Ferron should be commended for ably moving his chess pieces around the board, providing some natural flow to the somewhat arbitrary entrances and exits demanded of the script.

The production was not without its flaws. There were points where pacing and tempo issues made it hard to understand what the characters were saying, and some overly dramatic pauses at times turned an already long show even longer. These are concerns that tend to correct themselves over the run of a show, and so there is a good chance they’ll be corrected in subsequent performances.

Overall, if the enthusiastic response from the audience (and my son) were any indication, And Then There Were None provides a fun evening out with scares and surprises for all, whether you know the story or not.

The RISE Playhouse presents Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None through September 23. 142 Clinton Street, Woonsocket. Shows Friday and Saturday at 7:30, and Sunday at 2. For tickets and more information, visit RIStage.org.