A review of who killed ‘Agatha’ Christie. Following the press night release on Wednesday 12th July at The Theatre royal Nottingham. 

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On Wednesday 12th July I was lucky enough to receive press night tickets to who killed ‘Agatha Christie’. This production was in collaboration with The Colin McIntyre Classic Thriller Season and is part of a series of thrillers that are performed annually at The Theatre Royal within Nottingham. Upon arriving at the event, I will admit I went in not really knowing what to expect. However, as someone that has always loved the genre of murder mysteries, I was hopeful that the play would live up to the buildings beauty and historical richness.

The plot follows an obsessed and arguably psychotic playwright who uses his writing abilities to write and manipulate the process of scriptwriting live on stage. The script tells the story of “Agatha”: a well-known critic who unravels the mysteries of a supposed love affair through the character of John, who at first glance appears to be just a worried and angry husband , wanting to take revenge on his cheating wife. However, in murder mysteries things are never as they seem.

Right from the exposition it is clear that the playwright in question plans to make art out of murder. But, as an audience member I found myself asking the same question over and over again: 

When will the action start?. 

The play did a good job at setting the scene, but I believe it’s constant desire to use humour to elevate the character of the clearly deranged fell flat on many occasions. The somewhat juxtaposition of intense inaccessible language alongside a character who aims to make an audience laugh made me question the intention of the play as a whole. 

Who exactly was the target audience and why were they telling this story? 

Due to questions that had arose , I spent the interval speaking to members of the public. I found this a critical part of my review as I believe it is important to be as holistic as possible. I quickly found that members of the public who had never seen a production that had been part of the Colin McIntyre Classic Thriller Season found the first act of the play to be both predictable and inaccessible on many levels.

However, it was impossible to ignore the overwhelming positivity from those that view this production as tradition; they admitted that although there were elements of imperfection, it was comforting to know that the classic Thriller season brings a similar crowd to every show. 

With the second half unraveling to a predictable end, I asked myself whether the “familiar” still had a place in venues such as the theatre royal. I see beauty in familiarity and family in the faces of the individuals who left that space with a smile on their faces. But as I reviewed it, I found myself wondering whether I was the actual intended audience.

Your liking of this show will heavily depend on what theatre means to you. If you like the lighthearted element of revisiting tradition, I would recommend this play. I believe it successfully creates a reliable source of entertainment for you to revisit every year. However, if theatre for you means viewing the voices of untold stories, and being encouraged to listen and learn, then I believe it wise to look at some of The Theatre Royals other productions.

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Nottingham Queer Arts Collective: Making Nottingham proud

by Abigail Hutchison (Voice Community)

There mission is to bring together LGBTQIA+ artists of all disciplines from in and around Nottingham to appreciate, liberate, and support the Queer community and art.  

About this event

Starts: Wednesday 29 June 2022 7:00 PM

Ends: Wednesday 29 June 2022 9:00 PM

At: Nottingham Playhouse, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, Ng1

Nottingham Queer Arts collective was first established in October 2021 by LGBTQA+ members of the Nottingham Playhouse youth board who saw a lack of safe spaces for likeminded peers.

Since their debut the collective has successfully conducted monthly meetings on the last Wednesday of every month.Each month brings a new disciple, new individuals and a new opportunity for existing members to develop individually in a space that allows them to express themselves freely.

Within this review I would like to focus on the most recent event; thus giving you an idea of the atmosphere the facilitators have been able to create. 

The last week of may bought a theatre making workshop to (back) stage where members were able to step behind the curtain and uncover the realities and beauty of design.  This was explored through a mock up gallery display and presentation of costume, props and everyday life as a designer. 

The designer in question was Ivy Richards, a new found graduate of Nottingham Trent University who has worked on a variety of shows including the management of 2 major shows: Macbeth and Jingah. 

The collaboration of a successful designer and chilled atmosphere that let members wander around freely to explore her work, before a structured Q&A was majorly successful as members were able to retrospectively learn and relax. 

Overall, I believe the set up of the group was quintessential to the progression of Nottingham's creative corner that does not only have a place in pride month but within Nottingham as a whole.

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BOOK REVIEWS: ​

At the Table by Claire Powell (Review)

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The book was hyper realistic in terms of style. The family members felt real and the character of Nicole is narrated so she feels more like a friend than any other type of narrator. There was also irony in the structure of the story as it starts with a divorce and ends in a marriage ceremony. 

 

Cunning women by Elizabeth Lee (Review)

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Cunning women by Elizabeth Lee is a classic piece of literature that successfully evokes a sense of tension and suspense. The exploration of Daniel and Sarahs’ relationship as a secondary tale within the 17th century is significant as we are able to look at the primary message of inequality and the unacceptable treatment of both women an family’s that were viewed as different to the norm ,whilst retrospectively building up a relationship with two critical characters who are quintessentially both moral and caring, but who are misguided by circumstance and naivety. A stand out of this book lies in its structure and the deliberate decision to leave Sarah alone by the end of the book as this breaks the stereotypical depiction of a damsel in distress often reflected in 17th century novels. 

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Diamond Hill by Kit fan (Review)

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The bi-lingual element is intriguing and executed well but the actual plot is confusing and culturally misleading as it is evidently from a western perspective. I found it difficult to engage myself and enjoy it as the writing and structure felt disjointed and elements of humor felt outdated and overdone. Overall, it was a struggle to read and if it were not for a cause I would have given up.

 

The first day of spring by Nancy Tucker (Review)

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From all the English lessons I have had I know what an impact the first line can have.  “I killed a little boy” is not only intriguing but concerning and uncomfortable. From the moment I opened this book I could not put it down; it was quite frankly the best way to spend a train journey and left me psychologically confused and inquisitive. The topics this book covers are often avoided out of fear of saying the wrong thing or missing the point, however within this debut novel by Nancy Tucker she manages to cover it both elegantly and accurately. 

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Paul by Daisy Lafarge (Review)

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This book felt deeply personal. This added both a sense of honesty and discomfort. It is evident the writer has a clear understanding of the issues of toxic relationships, particularly in a patriarchal society, however, some of it simply felt too much. I had to put this book down many times and found myself unwilling to pick it back up unless I was in a particular mood or frame of mind. This book is written with talent and correct intentions but needs to be marketed in a way where it does not feel like it could damage or upset certain readers. If marketed correct or ideas structurally placed into a slightly coherent manner where the ending feels tied together, this book would have serious potential .