Carla Le Marchant learns a disturbing family secret; her mother, Caroline Crale, died in prison after being convicted for poisoning her father. Read more …
Caroline leaves an intriguing legacy in the form of a letter professing her innocence and, believing this to be true, Carla is determined to clear her mother’s name.
Enlisting the help of Justin Fogg; the son of her mother’s defence lawyer, Carla searches out all the players from her tragic history and brings them back to the scene of the crime to uncover the truth.
Suspects, secrets, and red herrings abound in this thrilling new production of Go Back for Murder which follows the hugely successful; The Hollow, The Unexpected Guest, And Then There Were None, Spider’s Web, Witness For The Prosecution, Verdict, and Murder on the Nile. A classic ‘Whodunit’ packed with intrigue, murder and suspense from the pen of the great Dame Agatha.
While the process of looking into people’s histories to discover secret motives or hidden revelations may work in literature, Harmston hasn’t made the action engaging enough for it to be successful on the stage.
In the end, it’s all slightly clunky, predictable stuff, full of heavily stereotyped characters. But Joe Harmston’s lively and inventive Agatha Christie Company make a fine effort, as usual, to free Christie from the strait-jacket of prewar costume drama, and to reframe her as an interesting chronicler of social change in the mid-20th century.
It’s perfect fare for a winter’s evening – a little cosy, but immensely clever and presented with real charm.
Preview: Go Back for Murder
King's Theatre, Edinburgh from Monday February 11, 2013, until Saturday February 16, 2013. More info: http://www.edtheatres.com/kings
Theatre Royal, Glasgow from Monday November 18, 2013, until Saturday November 23, 2013. More info: www.theambassadors.com/theatreroyalglasgow/
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