Review: AND THEN THERE WERE NONE at The Arctic Playhouse

The Arctic Playhouse in West Warwick dutifully pays tribute to mystery maven Agatha Christie with its sleek, suspenseful production of her renowned best seller and the basis of numerous stage, film, and television adaptations, ‘And Then There Were None.’

Ten strangers gather on an island, circa 1930s England, at the request of an unfamiliar acquaintance, Mr. Owen. Husband and wife, Tom (Frederick P. Dodge) and Ethel Rogers (Karen Gail Kessler), have been called to duty to greet, feed, and serve the invited guests. Vera Claythorne (Carolyn Coughlin) has been hired as Mrs. Owen’s social secretary, accompanied by Philip Lombard (Mark Gallagher), a former soldier.

The other guests include Anthony Marston (Daniel J. Holmes), a willful young man who immediately takes an interest in Vera; William Blore (Paul Koczwanski), a private investigator; veteran General Mackenzie (Michael Jepson); Emily Brent (Beth Jepson), an ornery older woman; a retired judge, Sir Lawrence Wargrave (Paul Nolette); and physician, Dr. Amstrong (Dave Almeida).

Their absent host makes his presence known in the form of an ominous voice recording that singularly accuses each individual present of a specific crime, and shortly thereafter, they start dying, one by one. Eerily, the murders resemble the words from a poem, “Ten Little Soldiers,” posted on the wall above the mantle.

John Braica and Bob Gerold’s superb stage design of gray painted walls and darkened furniture instantly sets the dreary, menacing tone for the forthcoming timeline of unfortunate events. David Jepson directs the ensemble cast with precision and effective latency, as most of the deaths occur offstage and are left to the audience’s imagination.

As the body count rises, so does the tension among the survivors, and in old-fashioned whodunit murder mystery style, the atmospheric conditions—inclement weather, power outage—continuously worsen as the remaining suspects begin to point fingers.

The cast members work extremely well together and each of them delivers fine, upstanding performances. Standouts include Holmes, as the rascal Marston I only wish we could have seen more of; Michael Jepson, whose downtrodden demeanor as the General speaks volumes (especially when I wasn’t able to hear him); Dodge, admirably and inexorably stoic as Tom; and Coughlin’s Vera, who conveys consistent strength and sensitivity despite the dire circumstances.

Since I haven’t read or seen ‘And Then There Were None’ in quite a long while, it had me guessing almost until the very end, and Arctic’s surefire production will most assuredly do the same for you, as well.

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