New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
Your Theatre, Inc., the SouthCoast’s fully dedicated community theatre, rings down the curtain on its 69th (2015-2016) season with Agatha Christie’s 1943 superlative mystery-comedy “And Then There Were None” which features an ending preferred by the author but never before used in an American stage presentation and only seen once in Europe.
Mrs. Christie’s grandson, Matthew Prichard, made the unpublished special ending (which is unlike that of the novel as well as usual movie and theatre versions) available to Robin Richard of New Bedford, who will direct the show’s 11-member cast whose performances are sponsored in part by Bank Five and Hawthorn Medical Associates, Your Theatre, Inc. corporate sponsors.
According to Mr. Prichard, the play’s concluding scene is a specially commissioned dramatic version of the novel’s ending based on private papers and correspondence.
Performances will be held Thursdays to Saturdays May 5-7 and 12-14, 2016 at 8 p.m. as well as Sundays May 8 and 15 at 2:30 p.m. in the Your Theatre Performance Complex at St. Martin’s Church, 136 Rivet St. at County St., New Bedford, MA 02744-1814. Free off-street parking is located at the theatre complex entrance on County St. For reservations, call 508-993-0772.
“And Then There Were None”, the world’s best-selling mystery novel of all time, famously began life with the title “Ten Little Indians” which was eventually discarded in favor of the current title. Mrs. Christie, particularly deft at creating vivid, colorful and clashing characters, adapted the book for the stage in 1943.
The play, one of Ms. Christie at her murderous best, tells of ten strangers lured by a mysterious host for a relaxing weekend on a remote island. Once they have arrived there is a suspicious death. The host accuses each person, via a recording, of having escaped justice for a past murder. Unable to leave the island the guests begin to share their darkest secrets until they fall, one by one. The ever dwindling party rushes to unmask the hidden killer in their midst. Who is the murderer? Who is next? This highly entertaining whodunit will keep any audience member guessing until the play ends.
While boasting a straightforward, no-nonsense yet entertaining plot, the play’s characters include an alluring secretary (Cassie Poirier of New Bedford), a dashing former soldier (Brandon Aguiar of Fall River), a British High Court judge (Roger H. Allen of New Bedford), a boorish a police officer (John Softcheck of Fairhaven), a bumbling general (Edward J. Maguire of Fairhaven), a nasty religious biddy (Laura T. Bomback of Swansea), a happy-go-lucky playboy (Daniel Gabriel Sallon of New Bedford), a surgeon (Michael McGill of Tiverton), a husband-and-wife cook and butler (Lee Bonia and Valerie Reynolds, both of New Bedford) and an island-to-mainland boatman (Mark P. Fuller of New Bedford).
Add to the mix a nameless host who shows up only as a recorded voice accusing everyone except the boatman of being responsible for the deaths of many people and the result is a heavy load of guilt thrown on 10 folks stranded on the island. However, the guilt is not as heavy as their fates when, one-by-one, they drop off, as the figurine of a soldier topples from the living-room mantle..
Assisting Mr. Richard with a variety of production operation details for the play which is sure to keep audiences delightfully stumped and on the edges of their seats until it ends are Stage Manager Gil Cardona-Erazo and Assistant Stage Manager Stephanie Paquette, both of New Bedford.
Tickets are $15 for general admission, $12 for season subscribers and $13 for senior citizens, students, and military personnel. More information is available by calling the theatre, emailing info@yourtheatre.org, or visiting YTI’s web site www.yourtheatre.org
As a fully-dedicated community theatre serving Southeastern Massachusetts and surrounding areas, Your Theatre, Inc. features talented actors, experienced directors and skilled technicians supported by a loyal volunteer staff. The company also offers special attractions and events promoting theatre arts throughout the season.
