Review - A Poirot Double Bill - People's Theatre

A Poirot Double Bill

People's Theatre

16th January, 2024 

The Wasp's Nest

The Yellow Iris

Directed by Ben Watkins

The People's Theatre have launched their 2024 season with some classic Agatha Christie, continuing the longstanding tradition of starting the new year with a bit of murder and sleuthing. 

This particular offering is of two early works by Christie, featuring the dapper Belgian Detective Hercule Poirot. 

Both differ from later mysteries with the sleuth, in that in these tales he is endeavoring to prevent a murder rather than solve one. Of course to do this he must not only work out who the potential murderer is, but also the potential victim, and then devise a plan to obstruct the murderer and save the victim. 

The plays are introduced by Agatha Christie herself, who addresses the audience directly and gives some background to the plays. Karen Elliott plays a convincingly witty Christie. 

The first of the plays - The Wasp's Nest - has just three characters in addition to Hercule Poirot and all the action takes place in the garden of Charles Harborough - an acquaintance of Poirot, recently engaged. For a murder mystery this has a surprisingly lighthearted feel with a lot of humour - Poirot hides in the garden to observe his suspects and quickly deduces dangerous plot that is afoot! But will he succeed in averting disaster?  

The second play has a larger cast and a more involved plot. There are more suspects, and more potential victims. Set in a restaurant with cabaret singers and a roomful of guests, there is a lot more going on on the stage and you need your wits about you to keep up with the action! In each corner of the stage there seems to be some small but significant incident - a conversation at the bar, a look exchanged between dance partners, even the lyrics being sung by the cabaret artists could be relevant to the crime... how will Poirot solve it all? And who made the mysterious call that lured him out to investigate? 

The set and costumes are exquisite. The ladies wear beautiful gowns and the men are smart in tuxedos - all very appropriate for a Christie setting. Wisteria drapes along the arbour through the french windows, and tables are adorned with pristine tablecloths and sparkling champagne glasses. The two plays are short - not much more than 30 mins each, but the encompass everything you would expect of an Agatha Christie mystery. Beautiful people, fatally flawed. Ian Willis captures the character of the fastidious Hercule Poirot beautifully, commanding the attention of his audience on stage and in the auditorium.

Of the two short plays, I enjoyed The Wasp's Nest best - it's simplicity and humour is engaging, and I liked the characters much more than those of The Yellow Iris. The second play took a lot more concentration to keep track of what all of the characters were up to on stage - there are lots of distractions that take your attention away from the important little moments that would help you work out the plot. This, of course is all part of Christie's skill - to keep her audience guessing to the end! 

It is a beautifully put together production - from the costumes, to the music, and especially the scene change between the two plays - the head waiter and his minion setting the tables is almost as entertaining as the two plays themselves - a clever little vignette to keep the audience entertained in the interval. 

The Poirot Double Bill plays until Sat 20th January and is a pleasing distraction from the dreariness of a cold, damp January! Tickets are available online from wwww.peoplestheatre.co.uk and I would recommend booking in advance to avoid disappointment!

Photo credit: Paul Hood 

Denise Sparrowhawk