Andrew Thomson has directed multiple plays for Woy Woy Little Theatre, but tackling Agatha Christie’s The Hollow has probably been one of his biggest challenges to date.
Set to open at Peninsula Theatre on May 19 for a three-week season, the play is classic Christie, peppered with varied and interesting characters and red herrings galore as the audience is left guessing to the end just who dunnit.
Widely recognised as the queen of crime writing, Christie produced a huge body of work including 66 novels, 20 of which she adapted for the stage, and 14 short story collections.
The play opens as Sir Henry and Lucy Angkatell anticipate a relaxing, enjoyable weekend with extended family at The Hollow, their country residence just outside London.
As the various cousins begin to arrive and romantic entanglements are revealed, tension mounts until one of the guests is – you guessed it – murdered.
Enter the detective and his sergeant and the classic murder mystery is underway.
“What’s really fun about this play is that there is a real mix of connections,” Thomson said.
“Relationships revealed throughout the play are used as an effective tool in laying suspicion on just about everyone.
“There’s lots of intrigue; everyone is pointing the finger at each other but it is not until the very end that we actually find out who did it and why.”
At the centre of the trouble we find Dr John Cristow and his devoted wife Gerda – but throw into the mix his mistress and prominent sculptor Henrietta and his former lover and Hollywood film star Veronica, and you have a volatile brew waiting to explode.
Also visiting are Edward and Midge, whose romantic assertions are also called into question.
As the list of romantic associations grows so does the list of potential suspects.
When one of the party members is shot dead right in front of them all, nearly everyone has a motive but only one of them is the real murderer.
“It’s the first Agatha Christie play I have directed and balancing a cast of 12 has had its challenges,” Thomson said.
“We have a mix of seasoned performers and seven players new to the Woy Woy stage so it’s been great to have some new faces.
“All in all directing this play has been great fun – we’ve all been enjoying getting the story out there.
“Audiences will be surprised with every plot twist, and have no idea who the murderer really is until the very end.”
Directed with the help of Assistant Director Karen Rowe, The Hollow features an impressive cast comprising Olivia Rowe, Mark Austin, Christine Vale, Kassandra Manuela Brown, Douglas Kent, Sam Zovic, Emily Rex, Kelli Ward, Sebastian Yule, Adriana Nunez, Reuben Harris and David Rowe.
The show opens on Friday, May 19 at Peninsula Theatre with 10 performances over three weekends.
All bookings and payments are to be made online at www.woywoylt.com.
Terry Collins