Another Agatha Christie Hits the YP Stage

A great whodunnit to come see, written by the famous Agatha Christie.

Murder is often surprising and unexpected, so what does it mean when you suddenly know the exact time and place that one will occur? The Yorkshire Playhouse is kicking off its season of mystery with A Murder is Announced by Leslie Darbon, adapted from Agatha Christie’s novel of the same name. Christie has repeatedly proved herself to be the “Queen of Mystery” with her novel settings, timeless characters, and twisting plots, and her stories have been popular at the Playhouse, with The Stranger performed last October, Murder on the Orient Express performed in 2022, and The Mousetrap performed in 2016.

This mystery is set in a quaint English village in the 1940s, and all scenes take place in Little Paddocks, an elegant cottage bursting with curious characters. The owner, Miss Blacklock, is the designated peace-keeper for her bickering niece and nephew, paranoid cook, permanently flummoxed best friend, a mysterious lodger, and occasionally nosy neighbors. When a newspaper advertisement declares that a murder will take place at Little Paddocks at 6:30 on Friday the thirteenth, the cottage is thrown into chaos, and all sense of normalcy disappears. In classic Christie style, secrets, connections, and true identities are soon revealed in a seemingly innocent setting. 

Christie fans will be excited to know that this is a Marple mystery. Miss Marple, who features in many of Christie’s novels, is a friendly, grandmotherly woman who possesses a canny wit, enormous curiosity, and a sharp eye for detail, hidden behind a quiet, unassuming nature and a pair of knitting needles. Fans who have read the book will still be in for surprises, and perhaps notice details that were easy to overlook on the page.

A notable aspect of this show is the aesthetics. Cardigans, strings of pearls, a golden chandelier, stunning views from a bay window, and foie gras sandwiches cement that though there’s murder in the air, there’s no reason not to be civilized. 

A Murder is Announced will run February 7th, 13th and 14th at 7:30 p.m., and the 8th, 9th and 16th at 2:00 p.m. You can purchase tickets at the box office at yorkshireplayhouse.com