The Hollow
People's Theatre
18th Jan 2022
You know that life is starting to get back to normal when you're at The People's Theatre for an Agatha Christie mystery in January! It's not entirely back to normal - Tuesday evenings are still socially distanced which meant there were lots of spaces between the audience and we were wearing masks, but we were at the theatre looking at the familiar set of an affluent country house living room, complete with French windows to the terrace.
It's difficult to review an Agatha Christie without giving away spoilers - so suffice to say that someone in The Hollow comes to an untimely end and the rest of the cast are under suspicion, and each one as likely as the other to have committed the deadly deed! Personally I feel the victim may have deserved it, not the most sympathetic of the characters in this play and it's a tribute to the performance of the cast member (who I can't name as that would give too much away...) that I disliked them so much!
The play follows the Christie formula - lots of suspects and lots of red herrings, hints at shared childhood experiences and past adventures and misdeeds amongst the characters, all of which add to the intrigue. the first Act builds to the climax of the murder with everyone in the audience wondering which one is for the chop. Act two introduces the detective and the long process of unpicking the puzzle and uncovering the murderer. I have to say, I had my suspicions, but Agatha is adept at throwing us off the scent so I did waver back and forth quite a bit, but in the end deduced correctly, without being entirely sure of the means!
There is a great deal of character building and background filling, necessary but which did mean the suspense waned at times, plus this is a bit of an epic at over two and a half hours. However, that said this is a well executed play with some really lovely performances. I particularly liked Kirstie Corfield as the eccentric and absentminded, but lovable, Lady Lucy Angkatell, and Steve Strouzer as the long-serving, stoic and loyal Butler, Gudgeon.
The costumes were on point with lovely evening frocks and stylish day wear for the ladies, smart suits and tweeds for the gentlemen, and the set was a perfect rendition of the aforementioned country house.
Overall a great evening's entertainment - and if they could shave a few minutes off the running time would be the only improvement!
The Hollow runs till Saturday 22nd January. It's well worth a visit to the Peoples Theatre and I would recommend it if you are making your first foray back into social events - their set up feels reassuringly safe and fuss free.
Denise Sparrowhawk
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