The Mirror Crack’d
Talisman Theatre, Kenilworth
HIGH tension among a disparate collection of stock characters, a sudden interruption as murder strikes and only a timid if redoubtable spinster to unravel the clues – stop me if you’ve heard it before.
The evergreen world of Agatha Christie and Jane Marple arrives at the Talisman in the classic tale The Mirror Crack’d.
Temporarily hampered by a sprained ankle St Mary Mead’s finest sifts the clues from her armchair occasionally venturing into the world of film-making before beating the police to a final resolution.
While there have been many screen adaptations of Agatha Christie’s Marple adventures, few have been unerringly loyal to the book and Rachel Wagstaff’s script makes a number of alterations while following a well-trodden path.
Split stage flashback vignettes and some rather strange representational choreography bring the unseen parts of witness testimony to life.
Such is the popularity of Christie’s stories that perhaps the surprise of unveiling the killer has to play second fiddle to the simple fun of getting there and Peter Nowens’s production tries hard to make the journey enjoyable.
Judy Wellicome’s Marple is credible if a little lacking in the sharpness the role often carries, but there’s a good sense of comic timing and wit.
The habitually over-thronged cocktail party at the big house has been trimmed, as has the police presence, but there’s still a dozen characters to maintain a choice of suspects.
Of these Claire Griggs’s in-your-face American film star and Matt Baxter’s long-suffering police detective catch the eye.
Positive efforts aside this is not the slickest of productions. Hamstrung by patchy line-learning and missed cues, there is a clumsiness about some of the staging that lets it down. Unnatural stage moves, odd cramped positioning and the continual snookering of Miss Marple herself behind other characters all get in the way.
This is pleasant fare for a warm evening not really demanding too much of its audience and, judging by the sell-out signs and the addition of a Saturday matinee, that’s more than acceptable with those who buy the tickets. Greater confidence and attention to detail should improve matters for those coming at the end of the run.
The Mirror Crack’d runs until Saturday June 28.
Visit talismantheatre.co.uk for performance times and booking details.
Matthew Salisbury
