Last night Neva and I went along to the opening night of Agatha Christies The Mirror Crackd, that is showing at Norwich Theatre Royal until 12th November.
I love watching dramas at Norwich Theatre Royal, it always amazes me how you can get entirely lost in the story, ignoring the fact you are surrounded by hundreds of other people sharing the same experience!
What Is The Mirror Crackd About
Miss Marple returns to the stage…
1960s England and a wind of change is blowing through the land.
It has even reached the sleepy village of St. Mary Mead. There’s a new housing estate to make the villagers curious and fearful. And even stranger, a rich American film star has bought the Manor House.
Jane Marple, confined to a chair after an accident, is wondering if life has passed her by.
Then there is a vicious murder, and Miss Marple must unravel a web of lies, tragedy and danger.
This adaptation of Agatha Christie’s famous novel brings real emotional depth and psychological insight to a thrilling story of revenge and the dark secrets that we all hide.
But can anything be hidden from Miss Marple, the sweet old lady with mind like a steel trap?
A brand-new production of Rachel Wagstaff’s acclaimed adaptation produced by the award-winning Original Theatre Company who brought you Alan Bennett’s The Habit of Art, the smash-hit comedy Invincible and the acclaimed Birdsong.
Previously, we had watched Agatha Christie’s Love From A Stranger and loved it, so I was looking forward to seeing Miss Marple solve a murder!
The story begins with a lavish party that you get a small glimpse of, before it switches to Miss Marple’s living room, where she is seen struggling with a sprained ankle!
Miss Marple is played by Susie Blake, who I love to watch, I have previously seen her in Some Mothers Do Ave Em as Frank Spencer’s Mother in law and she was hilarious, so I already knew how she commands the stage, and knew she would be a great fit as the armchair super sleuth!
Throughout the entire show she was pivotal in all the discussions, and solutions regarding the murder at the party, working alongside Chief Inspector Craddock (Oliver Boot) who liked to think he was running the investigation, but he was merely the sidekick!
The movie star Marina Gregg was played perfectly by Sophie Ward, who showed such warmth and understanding towards her fans, and yet you knew there was much more hidden behind the exterior, which becomes apparent as the story unravels.
I had previously seen her on screen husband Joe Rudd played by Joe McFadden in The House on Cold Hill and it was great to see him in character as an american movie director!
The scenery was simple yet effective, with the use of lighting and a few props, placed in front of a giant box, the scene was changed from a sitting room to a film set with the simple removal or addition of a few items of furniture.
The entire show was captivating and passed by very quickly, I was particularly fond of the flashbacks about events that had happened previously, with each character having their own version of events, it definitely made you fill as if you were there in the middle of the action.
I have not read the book The Mirror Crack’d From Side to Side that it is based on, so I was unaware of the outcome and who the murderer was, and after lots of surmising during the interval, we were completely off the mark!
But that’s all i’ll say on the matter, if you want to find out whodunnit, you need to go and see it!
Running time : 2 hours (including the interval)
Age recommendation : 10+ years
Ticket prices: £10 – £35