The Case Against

            Don’t go to see this play in the company of a criminal lawyer. They may fidget, scoff, snort and snigger. And they have a point, since the action begins with a leading QC, Sir Wilfrid Robarts taking on the case of penniless murder suspect Leonard Vole, who can’t possibly afford the great man’s fees. And that’s before we get to the courtroom banter.

            My learned friend Ms Loveridge has already introduced Witness for the Prosecution in her notice. It is of course an Agatha Christie murder mystery but this time there is no amiably eccentric amateur sleuth to solve the case. It is down to the British judicial process. And You too, members of the Audience. So pay attention, if you care to have a go.

            But while the Council Chamber has something of the intimidating majesty of a high court its acoustics can be a problem. It is also, in effect, a thrust stage so the actors’ expressions are not always visible. This is not always kind to the dialogue, which is crucial for this exposition-heavy play. My companion may not have been the only one to miss the key statement in the denouement on which the whole play turns. This might pose a problem for some long-term Christie fans, though they are probably familiar with the plot anyway.

            Pace is another issue. An unsolved murder demands resolution which, delayed, creates suspense. But after a gripping nightmare start Witness can seem to plod, even in the courtroom scene, so that the Witness’s bombshell is very welcome by the time it does explode. By way of contrast the second half finale is such a breathless dash to the finishing line that it may seem perfunctory.