Peninsula Players Presents Agatha Christie’s “The Hollow”

(From left) Penny Slusher, Maggie Carney and James Leaming star in Peninsula Players’ production of The Hollow, on stage through July 24. Photo by Len Villano.

Agatha Christie plays are always a retro treat, especially in a classic production such as the present Peninsula Players offering, The Hollow. She has become the Shakespeare of mystery writers, prolifically penning murder narratives, including one that outlived her: The Mousetrap, famous as the world’s longest running play.

(From left) Katherine Keberlein and Steve Koehler in the Peninsula Players’ production of The Hollow. Photo by Len Villano.

Like The Mousetrap, this play is set in an elegant manor house with a diverse group of guests assembled for a weekend together when murder interrupts the festivities, and police are summoned to solve the mystery.

Christie is a master of the murder mystery format, her play beginning with a series of conversations that liberally sprinkle the plot with red herrings. When the trigger is pulled by an unseen offstage hand, nearly every character has a motive or is a reasonable suspect for the crime. Seasoned mystery readers guessing at the outcome immediately dismiss the most obvious suspects but while the solution to the murder is always plausible, the tracks of the culprit are cleverly hidden.

Just as a playgoer cannot attend a production of Shakespeare with the same expectations as for a contemporary drama, an Agatha Christie murder mystery requires a similar mindset. Hers is a gentle more genteel world, one in which the story unwinds at a leisurely pace and murder, when it occurs, is not only tastefully executed but the victim is often deserving of that fate.

A number of elements add to the charm of the Players’ production of this mystery. Immediately apparent to theatergoers is the wonderful set, a beautifully realized 1950s-era garden room of Sir Henry Angkatell’s manor house, The Hollow. The costuming of the characters contributes to the ambiance of the time as well.

The shock of the murder is balanced with the daffiness of Lady Lucy Angkatell, amusingly portrayed by Penny Slusher, one of the two characters in Chapatti, the opening Players’ show. Lucy’s forgetfulness along with her wacky, inappropriate comments provides delightful comic relief.

(From left) Katherine Duffy, Erica Elam, Matt Holzfeind and Penny Slusher star in Agatha Christie’s brilliant whodunit, The Hollow, now on stage at Peninsula Players Theatre. Photo by Len Villano.

Perhaps the best part of the show is least tangible, the lightness of tone. While the production is certainly not a parody of Christie’s murder mysteries, there is a sense that the drama is not taken too seriously, an appropriate approach for dealing with sensibilities that have changed during the 65 years since the play made its premiere.

Primarily the play involves human relationships, the womanizer Dr. John Cristow with his long-suffering wife Gerda, his former lover the platinum blonde actress Veronica Craye, and his present mistress Henrietta Angkatell; and a romantic complication with Edward Angkatell’s unrequited love for Henrietta, and Midge Harvey’s secret affection for Edward. Add the mental fog of Lady Angkatell and the zealousness of the butler Gudgeon – and the audience is left puzzled to the end as to whodunit.

But ultimately the enjoyment of the play comes from the journey itself rather than the destination. Certainly the audience is curious to learn the identity of the murderer in this carefully crafted play, but the novelty of traveling back in time is the true pleasure.

The Hollow runs through July 24. For tickets and information visit peninsulaplayers.com or call 920.868.3287.