As
the characters drift into the beautifully appointed island
mansion, each one gives off a certain aura. We immediately
start forming our impressions. They are all strangers to us,
as well as to each other except for the butler and his wife.
But they, too, are new to this job and to the arriving guests.
There’s already lots of mysteries, and many more to come.
Agatha Christie, probably the most successful creator of
mysteries of all time, has again kept us guessing until the
end in her popular "And Then There Were None," now
playing at the Waukesha Civic Theatre. This is a very
engrossing production, to say the least.
The supposed owners of the house, Mr. and Mrs. Owen, have
invited these guests to spend a weekend at this spectacular
but isolated retreat. But they themselves are not present.
In the midst of the rather awkward, alcohol-driven
orientation among the newly-arrived guests, a voice suddenly
interrupts the proceedings, and this voice and its message
changes the atmosphere from somewhat uncomfortable to
decidedly ominous.
A varied assemblage of characters comprises this selected
group of invitees, and it takes a while before we ascertain
the thread of commonality that unites them.
The hired hostess, Vera, beautiful and poised, tries to put
people at ease, but the judgmental Emily refuses to enter in
as she busies herself with castigating the whole human race
for its immorality. Dr. Armstrong is as nervous as the
ex-soldier Philip and ex-cop William are cocky.
General MacKenzie seems lost both socially and mentally,
while Judge Wargrave treats this new world as his courtroom,
one which he likes to control.
The nervous maid and confident butler have their own lives
beneath the surface of this gathering while the fast-living,
amoral Marston makes a brief appearance and manages to rile
the doctor mightily.
With such a collection of personalities, now shaken by a
daunting message, soon to be stranded by a storm, a power
outage and no avenues of communication with the outside world,
the possibilities for drama are endless. And Christie explores
them all.
The title suggests that the weekend guests will start
disappearing just as the rhyme over the mantle predicts, but
who, why and how are the unanswered questions. Clarity is
right around the bend, or is it? Just when we think we’ve
got some things figured out, Christie plays with our
expectations and speculations again.
Fine casting, effective pacing and blocking characterize
the show.
The set designed by A.J. Simon, with its many levels and
indoor and outdoor spaces, contributes much to the movement
and composition of characters. It also exudes wealth and
style.
Though the whole cast is competent, several stood out.
Kelly Simon as Vera (hostess), Andy Lien as Phillip (soldier),
Michael Endter as William (cop), and Scott Allen as Lawrence
(judge) deserve the gold stars in this one.
It was a coup for Director Mark E. Schuster to put together
this difficult, but fascinating drama.
Don’t miss this one if you like thrillers. The show runs
through Nov. 8. Call 547-0708 for times and tickets.
