Verdict

Synopsis

Opened at the Strand Theatre in London on 22 May 1958. Karl is caught between his love for his invalid wife and her sister while himself being the subject of a student infatuation. While the audience sees the murder the real suspense is in whether the guilty will get away with it.

Our Review:

Anne Morley-Priestman - 9 March 2011

Doing the right thing is never easy. There are times when a good man’s virtuous actions bring almost more woes than he sought to alleviate in the first place. Agatha Christie wrote Verdict, which is a psychological drama rather than a whodunit, in 1958 when the traumas which led to the horrors of the Second World War were still fresh in the collective memory and when the Cold War was teetering on the edge of becoming a hot conflict.

We know who is to die, and we see that death achieved. But the verdict of the title doesn’t really refer to the person who will stand trial; it’s our judgement on the value to be put on life (even one confined in pain to a wheelchair) and the balance between a greater good and personal obligations which is required.

As with Joe Harmston’s other productions for the Agatha Christie Stage Company, this play is well cast, effectively designed by Simon Scullion and draws us into the drama with considerable sub...

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