Reviewed by Lydia Parker
Witness for the Prosecution was originally adapted by Agatha Christie in 1951 for the stage from a short story she had written in 1925 entitled Traitor Hands. Her producer, Peter Saunders, was so keen to see the story adapted that he wrote his own version which she rejected to write her own. Apparently, she was drawn to the challenge of keeping the suspense of a murder mystery going before a live audience in a theatre, rather than in a book which can be read at leisure. The play was a huge success and one can see why; it is enormous fun. This site-specific production, set in the Council Chamber of London County Hall, makes the courtroom scenes a more immersive experience, even using audience members as the jury.
Leonard Vole, a personable and handsome young man, has been accused of murdering Emily French, a middle aged wealthy woman he had recently befriended, making frequent visits to her Hampstead home. When he had heard about the murder, he went to the police station to see how he could help and is instead arrested a few days later as it transpires he is the sole heir of Emily French’s fortune. Leonard has faith in the justice system and in his barrister, Sir Wilfred Robarts, saying “You don’t get convicted for things you haven’t done, not in England.” He also is sure that his devoted wife, Romaine, will provide an alibi as he was with her when the murder supposedly took place.
Janet Mackenzie, the housekeeper to Miss French, paints quite a different picture of the unemployed Vole, as a conniving, gold- digging seducer who is indubitably a killer; she heard his voice at the time of the murder.
When Romaine arrives for an initial meeting with Robarts, she is smiling and cheerful, dressed in a black leather jacket and not at all the distraught wife. She states that she already has a husband. Leonard rescued her from the Russian zone in Germany for which she is grateful, but she is not married to him. She implies that Emily French was sexually attracted to Leonard and that he knew exactly what he was doing. Robarts is perplexed by this alluring and confident woman, worried that she does not have his client’s best interests at heart, as she undercuts everything that Leonard has said. When Romaine does appear in court it is as a witness for the prosecution, testifying against Leonard, that he came home on the night of the murder with blood on his cuffs, saying “I killed her.” Robarts believes that Romaine, a professional actress, is lying and trying to set up Vole for some reason. Without revealing too much, it is safe to say, the plot thickens.
Despite actors having to lug furniture in and out for changes of scene, the chambers work remarkably well for the setting, making the atmosphere all the more real. There is also lovely work from sound designer Mic Pool who adds audience gasps and off stage footsteps as well as eerie music to remarkable effect. Although I usually feel sorry for actors whose only job is to stand around, the various police stationed around the court as well as the stenographer and clerks added to the court room experience.
Richard Clothier is excellent as Sir Wilfred, a good, solid lawyer who will go all out to defend a man he truly believes is innocent. Harry Reid portrays Leonard Vole as a likeable, nai¨ve and charming man whose only fault is that his kindness gets him taken advantage of. He really brings home the very sinister side to the story, that one can be accused of a murder and have no way of proving one’s innocence. Despite having little stage experience, Mr Reid has just the right combination of naturalness and size in his performance. Although a good part of the beginning is exposition as Leonard tells his long story, it kept me completely absorbed. Lucy Phelps as Romaine Vole has a difficult job as her character is very changeable. It must be obvious that Romaine is hiding something and yet it seems she gives the game away too quickly in her first scene. It may be suitable that her character is always theatrical but it also meant she was less believable when she testified.
Credit must go to director, Lucy Bailey, for keeping true to the spirit of Agatha Christie by imbuing the production with real energy and urgency while drawing us into this strange tale with its twists and turns, never forgetting the danger of the death penalty for a possibly innocent man. Christie is a master craftsman of the murder mystery but more than being a who dunnit, this play is a psychological drama about deceit and the very real fear that people are not who we think they are. Although Witness for the Prosecution is wildly entertaining it is also just the right amount disturbing, which makes it a timeless tale.