BWW Previews: GO BACK FOR MURDER at Dolphin Theatre, Onehunga, Auckland

Agatha Christie fans remain loyal to her clever works. Dolphin Theatre opened Friday with an offering to quench the thirst of Auckland fans.

Director David Blakey treated us to some background of Agatha Christie's play 'Go Back For Murder' at the preview on Thursday night.

The play was adapted for the stage by Agatha Christie from the hugely successful novel Five Little Pigs, in which Hercule Poirot was the main character. During the adaptation process, Christie changed the title and dropped Poirot completely from the story, replacing him with Justin Fogg, the handsome young lawyer. Christie herself confessed she never warmed to the character of Poirot, and for the purposes of the play, Fogg is part of a much more satisfying resolution to the story which you'll discover when you go see the play.

All the intrigue, anticipation and clever dynamics of the style that Christie is known and loved for is honoured in this script.

After receiving a letter from beyond the grave, Carla Crale, (Babapriya Perumal) who has spent the intervening years in Canada, believes her dead mother was wrongly convicted of her father's murder. Carla consults Fogg (Thomas Campbell) and they embark on some sleuthing, discovering that, on the day of the murder, there were five other people at the house - the 'five little pigs' of Christie's original novel.

In a passionate attempt to clear her mother's name, Carla persuades those present on the day of her father's death to return to the scene of the crime and 'go back' 16 years to recount their version of events. These characters include Angela Warren, (Caitlin Flower), Lady Melksham (Isabelle Cohen), brothers Philip and Meredith Blake (Hamish Stevens and David Burchall) and the Governess (Bronwen Arlington)

In a flashback in the second act, we meet Amyas Crale, (Kevin Sequeira) a self-centred womanising artist and Carla's father. We also meet Carla's long-suffering mother Caroline ( Lyndsey Garner).
There is mayhem and then of course 'the mawder'.

You'll have your favourites amongst the cast just as we did.
Ours were Thoman Campbell who was every bit the dashing smart lawyer Justin Fogg,
Bronwen Arlington as the Governess Miss Williams, Caitlin Flower playing Angela Warren and Rex McIntosh encapsulated the weary assistant Turnball perfectly.

Go Back for Murder
Dolphin Theatre
12 Spring Street
Onehunga
20 September - 5 October
Bookings: www.dolphintheatre.org.nz/bookings

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