Rhona Garratty – Theatre Workshop Coulsdon

August 1939. Dark clouds are gathering over Europe, and off the coast of South Devon, a remote island becomes the setting for a series of sinister killings.

‘And Then There Were None’ has provided the model for innumerable ‘locked room’ mysteries. It’s also one of Christie’s very few works where there is no ingenious detective – no Poirot or Miss Marple – to solve the case. Just a group of extraordinary characters marooned together on an island, where one of them is deranged killer. But which one?

In some ways, it’s the purest mystery Christie ever wrote. Ten strangers are invited to Soldier Island, but on arrival, their hosts, Mr and Mrs U.N. Owen, are strangely absent.

As the evening unfolds, the fragile atmosphere of forced good humour is broken by the sudden accusation that they are all guilty of murder. Then one by one, members of the party begin to die, with the manner of their killing linked to a seemingly innocent nursery rhyme. Fear, suspicion and paranoia take hold of the remaining survivors as they realise the killer must be one of them.

Christie, who wrote the stage adaptation herself, provided a more upbeat ending than her novel. But a 2015 adaptation followed the novel more closely. Which have we used? You’ll have to find out…

‘Second star to the right, and straight on till morning!’

This Christmas, we’re delighted to present the perfect festive treat for all the family – the classic English childhood myth of love, loss, redemption – and pirates.

And Peter Pan, who never grows old. What’s not to like?

Winter, 1911. Snow is falling across London. Wendy Darling and her brothers sleep peacefully in their bedroom as their parents bicker downstairs. In a sudden flurry of snow their window blows open, and Peter Pan tumbles into their lives – followed by a fractious fairy called Tink. With the help of a little fairy dust, Wendy agrees to fly with Peter to Neverland, seeking an awfully big adventure and the key to her parents’ forgotten happiness – the child they once lost. Once there, Wendy will give the Lost Boys a run for their money, defeat the diabolical pirate Captain James Hook, and ultimately learn what it really means to grow up.

J.M.Barrie’s stage play, Peter Pan, delighted audiences when it premiered in 1904. His novel based on the play, Wendy and Peter, published in 1911, was a huge success. Commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company, Ella Hickson’s Wendy and Peter Pan premiered in December 2013, and it’s a sparkling new adaptation that puts Wendy centre stage. In a feisty take on Barrie’s much-loved tale, it never loses the charm of the original, nor any of its iconic set pieces.
It’s bittersweet, funny in places, touching in others, and brimming with action and adventure. Complete with musical accompaniment by our live band, plus our famous Christmas refreshments. It might be cold outside, but the mince pies and mulled wine will be piping hot!