A Small Mind At The Theatre

Twelve Angry Men was originally seen as a teleplay in 1954 and in the same year, its writer Reginald Rose adapted it for the stage. However, it is the Sidney Lumet-directed film starring Henry Fonda, released in 1957 that brought the powerful story showing the the complexities of the American judicial system to prominence. The film was rightly heralded as a classic of its time, and still, so many years later, the power of the story provides an incredible piece of cinema. So, can a stage production reaching Milton Keynes Theatre as part of a UK tour still have that power for British audiences? Fortunately, the verdict is a strong yes, and this reviewer is ever grateful for this as the original film Twelve Angry Men is a particular favorite. For anyone unfamiliar with it, Reginald Rose's play is such an incredibly structured work, crafting so much drama, from apparently so little physical material. Sure, it is a large cast, but, it never moves away from the juror's deliberation ...

This new production of And Then There Were None , directed by Lucy Bailey in collaboration with Fiery Angel, Royal & Derngate, and ROYO, offers another interpretation of the often-told classic Agatha Christie story. Originally published in book form in 1939, the play adaptation saw its original staging in 1943 and tells the tale of ten strangers lured to a remote island under false pretenses. It is, beyond The Mousetrap , perhaps one of the most recognised, non-Poirot/Miss Marple stories by Christie, due to its having been adapted for the stage and screen several times. So, after over 80 years since its first appearance, can a new adaptation bring something new to an eager theatre and crime audience? In this new incarnation, perhaps not entirely, although it isn't without trying. The story, as ever, is excellent, perhaps indeed, one of Christie's cleverest and most intricate tales. However, director Lucy Bailey's interpretation here often feels stodgy and lacking in pac...