"And Then There Were None" could be Agatha Christie's most famous book. The murder mystery has been adapted to stage and made into a motion picture at least five times. Though Christie changed the ending of the story in its different adaptations, one thing remained consistent—people died.
Ten people, each with something to hide and something to fear, are invited to a lonely mansion on Indian Island off the coast of England near Devon. Oddly, the host never appears. Cut off from everything but each other, the guests cannot escape their fears, passions and each other. As secrets are revealed, guests begin to die.
Directing for the Laughing Stock Theatre Company's production of "And Then There Were None," Jamey Reynolds has been building, directing and loving the idea of producing a murder mystery.
"I cut my teeth on community theater" he said. "Years ago when I came to Ketchum, I did 'Carousel' and received an award for ambition."
There are no equity actors in this production—it is real community theater. The set has been constructed to have an art deco appeal and the cast members don an English-influenced wardrobe.
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"It's a murder mystery and there's lots of intrigue," Reynolds said. "Everyone is having fun."
As people die left and right on stage, Reynolds said, the cast and he had to develop a very sophisticated and high-end approach to the work.
"As a director and professional actor, I have goose bumps," he said. "Everyone is guilty or not and anyone who is guilty does not want to attract attention."
Reynolds said Christie is the third most-read author after the Bible and Shakespeare, and her books and plays have been reprinted more than Shakespeare's.
"It does not get any better," Reynolds said. "It's very British and we chose this play because it was about justice and quest."
The cast includes Doug Neff, Patty Parsons, Rick Hoffman, Claire Cassano, Ed Clark, Mackenzie Harbaugh, Ben Schepps, Mark Cook, Page Klune, Bill Nagle and Dean Cerutti.
The nonprofit Laughing Stock Theatre Company has been providing theatre for the Wood River community since 1978.
Sabina Dana Plasse: splasse@mtexpress.com
Playbill
What: Laughing Stock Theatre Company's production of Agatha Christie's thriller "And Then There Were None."
Where: nexStage Theatre in Ketchum.
When: Friday, Nov. 12 and Saturday, Nov. 13, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 14, at 3 p.m. Additional shows will be Thursday, Nov. 18, through Saturday, Nov. 20, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 21, at 3 p.m.
Cost: General admission is $20 and reserved seating is $30. For tickets, call 726-9124.
Laughing Stock Theatre Company will perform Agatha Christie’s “And Then There Were None” at the nexStage Theatre Nov. 12-14 and Nov. 18-21. Courtesy photo
