CULTURE CLUB
Crime-time performance BACKSTAGE With the biggest-selling crime novel of all time set to hit the stage in Cambridge this November, Phoebe Harper speaks with actor Andrew Lancel ahead of his performance in And Then There Were None
of tradition, but also moving towards his humour and darkness – those were the aspects of the character that really spoke to me,” he comments. Speaking with Andrew, what emerges is the undeniably enduring popularity of Agatha Christie, which keeps fans coming back to her work almost a century later. Originally written in 1939, the novel was as timely then as it is now, says Andrew. “When you analyse the isolation of the characters and the play’s depiction of class, it’s still so relevant. Her characters are so PERFECT STRANGERS This stage adaptation of Agatha Christie’s most popular novel guarantees to thrill. A cast of mysterious individuals converge on a solitary island – for what reason, nobody knows...
13-18 Nov
rich – she’s equally brilliant at broad strokes and detail, but this adaptation really is one for today.” A hold-on-to-your-chair performance that rarely pauses for breath, the audience can expect thrills, shocks and a healthy amount of humour. Having recently performed in both Dublin and Glasgow, the play has been met with a fantastic reception thus far, with standing ovations every night and Andrew spending hours by the stage door bonding with
I genuinely think Agatha Christie has never been seen like this before.” Taking on a classic such as Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None – the best-selling crime novel of all time – and adapting it for the stage with a new twist while simultaneously respecting its esteemed history is no small feat. But for actor Andrew Lancel, it is director Lucy Bailey’s ability to do exactly that which made him leap at the chance to play a role in her upcoming production. “I’ve always wanted to do an Agatha Christie, but it was working with Lucy first and foremost that made me go for it,” he says. “It provided the chance to take on something that is very well known and do it differently, while also working with one of the greatest stage directors of our time.” As a theatre director, Lucy co- founded and was the co-artistic director of the venue The Print Room. She has a reputation for adapting Christie well, as seen by her production of Witness For The Prosecution at London County Hall, which has been running for six years. “ And Then There Were None is a play that’s been performed a lot, but certainly
never like this,” continues Andrew. “Lucy can place things and find textures in a way that is just fascinating, while also finding the humour and fun in a piece.” Though a newcomer to Christie, Andrew himself is well-versed in crime dramas, starring as DI Neil Manson in The Bill for several years, alongside a host of other TV and theatre roles. In this production, he plays William Blore – a former police inspector and one of ten guests lured to Soldier Island – an isolated outcrop off the Devon coast. With each character supposing they have been invited to the island for a jolly, the real, sinister reasons for their visits are slowly drawn out. “I’ve been trying to play Blore in quite a different way, ticking the boxes
Christie fanatics over the performance. With Cambridge on the horizon, Andrew looks forward to returning to the city as somewhere he always loves to play, despite consistently overspending in the city’s bookshops every time he does. “There are some truly wonderful performances in this piece and I’m thrilled that people are enjoying the ride along with us,” he enthuses. “There’s a requirement to push theatre forward while acknowledging its history. It happens all the time with Shakespeare, but it’s so exciting now to see it being done with Agatha Christie.”
Showing at the Cambridge Arts Theatre from 13 to 18 November. Tickets at cambridgeartstheatre.com
CAMBSEDITION.CO.UK NOVEMBER 2023 17
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