Go Back For Murder (Birmingham)

Go Back For Murder is a 1960 adaptation of Agatha Christie's 1942 novel Five Little Pigs. It tells the story of Carla Le Marchant (Sophie Ward), whose mother was convicted of her father's murder. Twenty years after the crime, and convinced her mother was innocent, Carla enlists the help of lawyer Justin Fogg (Ben Nealon) to revisit the five other suspects in order to discover what really happened.

In the original novel Agatha Christie took a stylistic risk, telling the same story several times, each from the perspective of a different character. While this technique worked in the book, it doesn't translate well to the stage. There is far too much "tell" and not enough "show", particularly in the first act, which consists almost entirely of a series of static dialogues in which the characters do little but reminisce.

In the second half we finally get some action, as the events of the fateful day are played out. The trouble with this is that it undermines the stated theme of the play, that "it is the very inconsistencies and contradictions in testimony that hold the key to unravelling the truth". By dramatising only one version of the truth, those inconsistencies are lost. It also means that we see the murderer carrying out the evil deed, which takes away much of the dramatic impact of the big ‘it was YOU!' reveal at the end.

Another thing lost in the journey from novel to stage is the complex psychology of the characters. Here they all feel like well worn stereotypes – the amoral mistress, the no-nonsense governess, the clever lawyer, the devoted wife. The performances are good, but there is little in the text to enable the actors to create rounded characters or form convincing emotional connections between them.

I was also disappointed by the staging which, like the text, felt staid and old fashioned and brought nothing creative or innovative to the production. Agatha Christie's white, upper middle class world of yesteryear was presented at face value, set against a stuffy and inflexible background of marble floors and ornate woodwork.

Overall, this is a competent piece of traditional theatre, but I'm afraid this is one murder I wouldn't go back for.

Go Back for Murder continues at the New Alexandra Theatre until 30 November.

– Alexandra Taylor