THEATRE REVIEW: Black Coffee ★★★
Black Coffee
The Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham
Saturday 14th June 2014
Having seen The Mousetrap, another of Agatha Christie's creations, a few months back, I had good expectations for Black coffee, and it very well surpassed my thoughts. As the show is split into three parts, the first is to set up the scene, characters, and the death of one of the characters, the second is about Poirot questioning the characters of the piece, and the third act is getting to the conclusion of the murderer and thief of the secret formula, which if sold could be worth around £50,000.
The play is set in the library of Abbot's Cleve, in Sir Claud Amory's house, who in the first act dies from the secret formula being placed in his coffee, and so it becomes Poirots case to find out who was the one who murdered Sir Claud.
The acting is fantastic and the pace is brilliant, along with the stunning set, though I do think they drag out the second act quite a bit, as not much seems to happy, just a lot of interrogating on Poirots part. You cannot fault the passion and energy in what the cast have on the stage, and the chemistry onstage is so gripping.
Jason Durr, who portrays Hercule Poirot, is completely flawless, his Belgian accent is brilliant, and his presence on stage really shows that he is Poirot through and through, and really draws you into what he is talking about.
A Murder Mystery has always been one of my favourite genres, and the balance between tension, drama, and comedy elements is judged very well, and we find that Poirot seems to have a lot of humor to him.
The set is grand and fantastic, one that you could not get tired or bored at, as it looks stunning to look at, with the gates at the back, and nothing in the background is left unused on the show, it all feels very interactive.
Overall, Black Coffee was a brilliant show if you are looking for a great night of murder mystery, that will keep you gripped and guessing as to who poisoned Sir Claud's coffee, and one that no Agatha Christie fan should miss.
The Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham
Saturday 14th June 2014
Having seen The Mousetrap, another of Agatha Christie's creations, a few months back, I had good expectations for Black coffee, and it very well surpassed my thoughts. As the show is split into three parts, the first is to set up the scene, characters, and the death of one of the characters, the second is about Poirot questioning the characters of the piece, and the third act is getting to the conclusion of the murderer and thief of the secret formula, which if sold could be worth around £50,000.
The play is set in the library of Abbot's Cleve, in Sir Claud Amory's house, who in the first act dies from the secret formula being placed in his coffee, and so it becomes Poirots case to find out who was the one who murdered Sir Claud.
The acting is fantastic and the pace is brilliant, along with the stunning set, though I do think they drag out the second act quite a bit, as not much seems to happy, just a lot of interrogating on Poirots part. You cannot fault the passion and energy in what the cast have on the stage, and the chemistry onstage is so gripping.
Jason Durr, who portrays Hercule Poirot, is completely flawless, his Belgian accent is brilliant, and his presence on stage really shows that he is Poirot through and through, and really draws you into what he is talking about.
A Murder Mystery has always been one of my favourite genres, and the balance between tension, drama, and comedy elements is judged very well, and we find that Poirot seems to have a lot of humor to him.
The set is grand and fantastic, one that you could not get tired or bored at, as it looks stunning to look at, with the gates at the back, and nothing in the background is left unused on the show, it all feels very interactive.
Overall, Black Coffee was a brilliant show if you are looking for a great night of murder mystery, that will keep you gripped and guessing as to who poisoned Sir Claud's coffee, and one that no Agatha Christie fan should miss.
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