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The Hollow
Playwright - Agatha Christie
Director - Ian Grieve
Set Designer - Adrian Rees
Costume Designer - Monika Nisbet
Lighting Designer - Mark Pritchard
Company - Pitlochry Festival Theatre Company 2002
Venue - Pitlochry Festival Theatre www.pitlochry.org.uk
01796 484626
By the banks of the River Tummel, their theatre has most beautiful setting.
Pitlochry is about 2hrs easy drive from Edinburgh + has lots of hotels
and B+Bs. When theatre is open Restaurant booking advised 01796 484626
for dinner also Bar and Coffee Bar.
EdinburghGuide Pitlochry
Festival Theatre Page with last season's reviews and info
Dates - see end of review
Run Time hrs mins including a 20 minute interval
Reviewer - Thelma Good
Her dialogue sparkles
The Hollow - Pitlochry Festival Theatre Production
Kitty Lucas as Henrietta
© Keith Brame 2002
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Christie is not just a rattling good crime writer and this is not just
a "Who done it" play, The Hollow is more. And the more is not
just the dottily giddy Lady Angkatell, which has Alice Fraser using
her tip-top comic timing with all including her husband, Martyn James.
Nor is it only the well fleshed out characterisation by the rest of this
cast. No the strength and delight of this play is what Agatha Christie
put in along with the plot twists. She wove into the puzzle of who killed
whom, a definite savoury commentary on British Society just after the
war. Then we referred to different races by names we've trained ourselves
not to utter now and women were sweet things though many increasingly
had to earn a living. The various skeins Christie has woven in offer intelligent
wit and an insightful delight and Pitlochry's production underlines that
Christie done well is a revelation in more that one way. Her dialogue
sparkles along with the plot.
The play takes place in Lady and Sir Henry Angkatell's, country house
recently redecorated with very up to the 50s taste, geometric prints with
touches of last decade of peace, the 30s. Staying with them is their niece
Henrietta, Kitty Lucas who gives the drive and certainty, not to
mention ice in the heart of an artist who in Henrietta's case creates
abstract art and those little white statues that shout that time and had
one word titles, Youth or Lost. Another niece is down for the weekend
Midge, Helen Logan, (thankfully with a fresh accent this time)
she's a few drawers lower though Angkatell blood runs in her posh dress
shop assistant veins. Also down are John Cristow and his wife Gerda, who
is perceptively played by Jo Freer who gives her that wan insipidness
wives of successful men often had then. Edward, Richard Keynes,
another Angkatell has invited himself, he normally lives in the house
on nearly everyones' lips and dominating the garden room the play takes
place in.
And then there are the servants. Gliding like the best butlers and pulling
discrete grimaces is Gudgeon, Michael MacKenzie who's so authentic
a couple near me were seriously tempted to offer him a very good position.
Gudgeon is absolutely devoted to Lady Lucy and would, it's clear, do anything
for her. A small part played well by Lucy Paterson, is Doris the
newly hired maid Gudgeon's training up despite his face when she talks
of her Labour voting Dad's opinions about "domestic help". While
Anne Kidd makes an excellent surprise entrance as the film star
Veronica Craye.
By the interval the murder has occurred and we've also got reasons to
suspect everyone. In comes Moray Treadwell as the Inspector with
Matt Blair as his detective sergeant who has an unnecessary American
twang. The finding of the murderer underway, Christie continues to give
period depth as well as developing the plot, so that it's possible to
imagine what they might do after the event filled weekend is over. With
Ian Grieve's tight direction, Christie's script contains interesting dynamics
and a wit whose accurate shafts remind one of that Irish Dramatist of
the British scene 50 years early. Yes I do mean Wilde.
I do hope that the trustees of the rights to Agatha Christie's writings
ensure more productions of this quality are put on, Pitlochry's Hollow
proves they are well worth doing. I rest my defence.
© Thelma Good 30 May 2002
Dates of performances of The Hollow in Pitlochry Festival Theatre's 2002
Season
30th May (2pm), 30th May (8pm),
3rd June (8pm), 7th June (8pm), 11th June (8pm), 12th June (2pm),
15th June (8pm), 19th June (8pm), 22nd June (2pm), 27th June (8pm),
1st July (8pm), 6th July (8pm), 13th July (2pm), 17th July (8pm),
20th July (8pm), 24th July (2pm), 26th July (8pm), 31st July (8pm),
3rd August (2pm), 10th August (8pm), 15th August (8pm), 17th August
(2pm), 20th August (8pm), 21st August (2pm), 26th August (8pm), 30th August
(8pm),
3rd September (8pm), 4th September (2pm), 9th September (8pm),
14th September (2pm), 18th September (8pm), 21st September (8pm), 26th
September (8pm),
2nd October (8pm), 5th October (2pm), 10th October (8pm), 18th
October (8pm).
Run ends of The Hollow
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