I love a good whodunnit and was really looking forward to coming to see the Leicester Drama Society’s production of The Mirror Crack’d by Agatha Christie and adapted by Rachel Wagstaff at the Little Theatre. I attended with my good friend, Emma, who has spent many an enjoyable hour reading Miss Marple and Poirot stories over the years. She wouldn’t give me any spoilers though which meant that, in true Agatha Christie style, I had about 5 different plot endings by the interval as this was (again) a story that I didn’t know the plot of.

The set, designed by Tristan Knowles, is extremely clever with a variety of quirky and quick changes that create the different venues that the story is set in. I particularly liked the swing out street and dressing room as well as the use of gauze to create flashbacks. My only minor criticism was that the change to and from Miss Marple’s lounge was quite protracted compared to most of the other changes but I am sure this will become slicker as the run continues. The cleverness of the set, though, kept me engaged throughout the entire show wondering if there were any more hidden surprises.

Jenny Harding and Martin Scott’s lighting design together with John Bale’s periodic costuming finished the polished look of the production. I have seen a few shows now with John Bale’s costume design and he gets it bang on every time. Compliments need to be given where they are due. Non intrusive but subtly underpinning the action on stage the final piece of the puzzle is the sound by Tim Neville and Stew Wale. All these elements come together perfectly to give the cast the best base to work from.

Onto the performance – and I am not going to give anything away so won’t talk about the plot. It was a solid performance from the entire cast however Elizabeth Spendlove’s Marple was “just right”. Jane Marple is a character that has been played so many times across the years that there is an almost ingrained opinion of what she should be like and Spendlove captured that essence perfectly. There was nothing that made me think “hmmm something is missing”, nothing that made me cringe or flinch, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching this latest rendition of the beloved character.

She was very ably supported by a cast who each played their parts really well, keeping us on our toes throughout as the story zig zagged between current and flashback with Mary Jones’ skilled direction matching the clever set. I particularly liked the freeze frame of the characters in the present time as it switched to flashback.

I mentioned how the entire cast put in strong performances however I do need to give a special mention to Adam Jones’ portrayal of Cyril Leigh. The timing, the frailty, the sidelining of Leigh was, at times, hilarious, at other times, saddening. It reminded me of Amos from Chicago when he sings Mr Cellophane – the way people look through him at other “more important” interactions. I am so glad that his character came through and had his moment in the end.

Overall, it is a show that both my friend and I thoroughly enjoyed with humour, sorrow and storytelling in just the right amounts. If you like a good Christie story then definitely get along to the Little – tickets can be bought here – before it’s final performance on Saturday March 21st.

Tickets gifted for an honest review and photography by Jonathan Pryke.