Review of Black Coffee (Agatha Christie Theatre Company)

York Press

Last Saturday, I had the great pleasure of seeing the Official Agatha Christie Theatre Company's latest performance in York at the Grand Opera House. This year, after the 'death' of David Suchet's unrivaled performance as Hercule Poirot, the company chose Black Coffee, the sole Poirot play. Robert Powell doesn't rival David Suchet, but he certainly gives him a run for his money.

The story is a typical Agatha Christie tale, there's a missing formula, a murder of a rich patriarch and a unique detective who makes a mockery of the poor old police. As the curtain rose, the wonderful Poirot theme tune from the TV series (composed by Chris Gunning) could be heard, with a slight alteration in tone. The first act was relatively short, but did get out of the way some key points. We are introduced to Sir Claud Amory (Ric Recate), a wealthy country squire armed with a chemical formula. He lives with his sister Caroline Amory (Liza Goddard), his son Richard (Ben Nealon), his niece Barbara (Felicity Houlbrooke) and Richard's Italian wife Lucia (Olivia Mace). There is also a secretary called Raynor (Mark Jackson) Italian doctor called Dr Carelli (Gary Mavers) staying at the house, so he's obviously a suspect!
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At the end of the first act, Hercule Poirot (Robert Powell) and Captain Hastings (Robin McCallum) arrive just as the formula has been stolen and Sir Claud has been poisoned. In Act Two, Robert Powell really gets stuck into some clever Poirot deductions. He interviews the suspects, looks for clues, hides behind doors and confounds and confuses Hastings. As usual, Inspector Japp (Eric Carte) just happens to be in the area to help solve the case. In the third and final act, Poirot finishes off his investigation and faces the murderer. To be honest, Agatha Christie does it again...I never suspected who the killer was!

Robert Powell as Hercule Poirot

Robert Powell obviously had some big patent leather shoes to fill as he took up the role of Poirot just months after David Suchet's last film as Poirot was released. Robert Powell does a magnificent job; he doesn't copy David Suchet, but he puts his own spin on things. The accent is good, the costume is good (Nikki Bird has some a fantastic job with all of the costumes) but the 'rapid, mincing' walk is not there. This doesn't matter because Poirot's other eccentricities are present, such as his straightening of objects, his polite way of interviewing suspects, his caring, fatherly behavior towards Lucia and his cunning way of catching the murderer red handed. Powell has done a fabulous job of reviving Poirot for the stage.

Robin McCallum as Captain Hastings and Eric Carte as Inspector Japp

Hastings and Japp have also been played brilliantly on screen by Hugh Fraser and Philip Jackson. Firstly, Robin McCallum's Hastings is great. He has a lot of fun with the naive character, especially when he comes into contact with the ladies. Hastings is clearly in love with Barbara Amory, who describes him as "pre-war" and a "pet". Eric Carte is fantastic as Inspector Japp, who gets more involved with the action in Act Three. He has a great chemistry with Powell, Poirot and Japp are portrayed as having worked with each other before. Carte plays Japp as the bumbling, rough policeman that is so typical of crime fiction.  He does a great job.

Liza Goddard as Miss Caroline Amory 

Liza Goddard previously played Miss Williams in Go Back For Murder last year, that I saw in Torquay. This year, she plays a different character, a snobbish but pleasant sister of a rich squire. Goddard has a lot of fun with the character. There is a running joke throughout the play about the Italians, who Miss Caroline doesn't trust one bit. This allows Goddard to have some very funny lines. Also, there is a scene where the suspicious Italian doctor wants her out of the room, and she keeps dropping her knitting balls on her slow way out of the room.

The supporting cast

All of the cast are excellent. Olivia Mace is brilliant as Lucia Amory, especially in her scenes with Poirot. Poirot takes a shine to her and wants to protect her, which is lovely. Felicity Houlbrooke is great, and has a good chemistry with Robin McCallum as Hastings. Ben Nealon gives as solid performance as Richard, as does Mark Jackson who plays the sly secretary Edward Raynor. Gary Mavers is suspicious as the Italian doctor, a great running joke throughout the performance.

Black Coffee is a great performance, and I recommend that you see it. It is currently on a tour of the UK, so don't miss out.