Review: And Then There Were None at Alley Theatre

You might need to bring a sweater – a jumper, the British would say – to watch the Alley’s quite bracing production of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None. You will jump, for sure, and there are chills all through the night.

Dame Agatha outdoes herself in murder mayhem as she constructs a plot that’s as thick and twisty as a medieval maze. Ten, count them, ten murders take place on her deserted island off the Cornwall coast. Let’s see, she uses cyanide, choral hydrate, a knife, an ax, pistol, a marble statue of a bear, a rope to dispatch her victims, who have been summoned by a mysterious stranger to the deserted island.

There’s a storm brewing, of course, the generator fails, there’s no telephone (no cell phone service, naturally – this is the ’30s), and the only contact with the outside world a mile off is a daily boat in the morning. The storm will forestall that rescue method. The ten are abandoned in the house, killed off one by one like the embroidered nursery rhyme on the mantelpiece. You know it: “Ten little soldiers went out to dine; One choked his little self and then there were nine…”

Here, they are “soldiers,” in America they are “Indians,” and in the original 1939 novel they were “n*****s.” Crusty old Dame Agatha was not very sensitive or PC, even for 1939. The American editors were appalled by the title and quickly changed it to a brand new title, And Then There Were None. That was the name of the 1945 Rene Clair film released by 20th Century-Fox, and it became the classic’s name there after.

I have told you too much already, so I will be quiet on what transpires on the Devon coast. I’ll let you discover that – and the shivers that accrue – all on your own.

What I can say is that this is the most satisfying Summer Chills production in seasons. It’s a little gem of a murder mystery. Christie’s novel is one of the best-selling books in history, always on the top-ten list, and there have been countless adaptations for movies, television, radio, anime. This is Christie’s own 1943 theater adaptation, an almost word-for-word account from the novel. Later versions added an epilogue with police and detectives who arrive on the island after the grisly murders to unwind the mystery. This original is darker and much more gratifying.

Directed by Elizabeth Williamson with a sturdy build-up of tension and sly touches of comedy, None has all the hallmarks of a high gloss Alley production. No company in Houston has the physical or monetary resources to produce on such a scale. It is in a class by itself, Houston’s own Paramount, or MGM, or Fox. When they turn on the charm, there’s no way not to be seduced.

Nick Vaughan’s Bauhaus scenic design has wisps of William A. Horning and Merrill Pye’s cliff house in Hitchcock’s North by Northwest – large picture windows, glass doors, Eames chairs, chrome accents, fieldstone fireplace; André Pluess’s sound design is full of gunshot jump scares, while his musical score echoes Bernard Herrmann’s Vertigo. Brenda Abbandandolo and Amanda Roberge’s costumes scream chic in Vera’s bias-cut gown, or Town and Country plushness in Lombard’s polo ensemble, or utilitarian ordinariness in housekeeper Mrs. Rogers’ frump. And all the scares look great under Isabella Byrd’s expressionistic light which veers from daylight, moody storm, fog-enshrouded, or candle-lit eeriness.

The ten victims, picked off one by one, are convincingly played with little tongue-in-cheek: Spencer Plachy (stuffy butler Rogers), Elizabeth Bunch (exasperated and nervous housekeeper/cook Mrs. Rogers), Gabriel Regojo (daredevil Marston), Melissa Molano (Vera, secretary to the island’s mystery man), Dylan Godwin (good-time adventurer Lombard on the make for Vera), Christopher Salazar (undercover policeman Blore), Todd Waite (wary old general MacKenzie), Susan Koozin (prim Bible thumper Emily Brent), David Rainey (stalwart judge Wargrave), Chris Hutchison (doctor turned psychologist Armstrong). They expire beautifully.

This is perfect summertime entertainment. Guess who’s responsible for the mayhem? Your first guess would be correct. The queen of mystery herself, Dame Agatha. She would never claim that this was her favorite, but she liked it best for its almost impossible challenges. You’ll find the intrigue, the mystery, the chills are plotted with a finesse that the Alley has pulled off flawlessly. Go be chilled. Don’t forget that jumper.

And Then There Were None continues through September 1 at 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Thurdays; 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays; and 7 p.m. Sundays at Alley Theatre, 615 Texas. For more information, call 713-220-5700 or visit alleytheatre.org. $32-$116.