Don’t miss your Appointment with Death at Red Tree Theatre from August 23.
Wyong Drama Group’s August production will have you asking whodunnit as Agatha Christie’s artful murder mystery unfolds.
Christie rewrote her original novel into a taut psychological drama.
It is 1945 and an assorted group of travellers find themselves in Jerusalem and then on an expedition to the rose-red city of Petra.
At the centre of the group are Mrs Boynton and her three step-children who never leave her side.
They are joined by a young English doctor, an eminent psychologist and a host of others.
The chilling play offers a unique take on the classic murder mystery as Christie explores the realms of the sadistic mind and the devastating effects of long-term psychological abuse.
Director Andy Kabanoff has assembled a superb cast of well-known local actors and talented new faces to take you to Jerusalem and Jordan in the days immediately after World War II.
“I usually direct classics like Shakespeare’s The Tempest or my own obscure plays like Sepia Secrets and End of the Line,” Kabanoff said.
“But we needed a play that would be a drawcard and I really like this particular play.
“It’s a lot more than the usual whodunnit; it’s a deep psychological study and that’s something that always interests me.
“It provides some really interesting characters for actors to climb into and explore and the setting is exotic and somewhere that I’d like to explore, making for interesting staging possibilities.”
Kabanoff said actors were queuing up to audition and he had assembled a wonderful cast.
“It is mixture of seasoned actors, some of whom I’ve worked with in the past, and a few super-keen very promising debutantes,” he said.
“The chemistry and collegiality across this group has been a wonderful experience.
“People have jumped in to take over responsibility in areas beyond my limited range of skills and I thank them all.”
The cast comprises Sharon Hogan, Madi Leidlich, Dale Huxley, Megan Kobeleff, Anelia Breeff, James Chambers, Ibrahem Halak, Chris Cherry, Kelly McBride, Duncan Mitchell, Georgia Martin, Gavin Fryer, Joshua Armitage, Brendan Abela and Roger Smith.
“A cast of 16 almost guarantees that at every rehearsal there’ll be one to three people absent because of sickness, family commitments, other conflicting engagements – and that can be frustrating,” Kabanoff said.
“It’s much less frustrating when you have a group of actors pulling together and supporting each other as wonderfully as this group of eight female and eight male actors have done since day one.
“On the positive side it means that you have a bunch of people with other skills that can be drawn upon.
“James Chambers has taken on the set building, Dale Huxley the music, Duncan Mitchell the role of acting coach for inexperienced actors, and so on.
“I’ve rarely come across such camaraderie and mutual support amongst a cast; it’s quite wonderful.”
Kabanoff said audiences could expect visual and auditory surprises along with “gorgeous” characterisations and dramatic depth balanced by humour.
Appointment With Death will have eight performances from August 23-31, with a mix of matinees and evening shows.
Book at www.wyongdramagroup.com.au
Terry Collins