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Agatha Christie created magnificent works of suspense for the theater, and eight of her riveting stage dramas are collected in The Mousetrap and Other Plays-including the title piece, the longest running play in history, still a smash hit in London's West End after 60 years! On an isolated island, ten people have been brought together to be killed off. An evil old woman has a rendezvous with death in the desert heat of Jerusalem. A scheming wife testifies against her husband in a shocking murder trial. And a homicidal maniac terrorizes a group of snowbound guests to the refrain of "Three Blind Mice." This collection of eight works proves that Agatha Christie's plays are as compulsive as her novels, with their colorful characters and ingenious plots providing yet more evidence of her mastery of the detective thriller. Includes: And Then There Were None, Appointment with Death, The Hollow, The Mousetrap, Witness for the Prosecution, Towards Zero, Verdict, and Go Back for Murder.… (more)
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Ten Little Indians, Ten people trapped on an island, start dropping like flies from unnatural causes. A bit campy for me, but I wonder if one saw it staged they could pick out the murderer?
Appointment With Death, Creepy, suffocating. Most unnerving mother I've
The Hollow, A satisfactory tale with a nice clean ending. Wonderful Duchess character in it. Takes place at an estate 20 miles from London.
Mousetrap, I like this version better than the book. It seems a tighter story.
Witness for the Prosecution, This takes place mostly in the court, which I thought would be boring, but it moved along very quickly. I figured it out pretty early, except some of the fine details. Love the ending.
Zero Hour, A bit bizarre, not sure it's quite believable, but still a good tale.
Verdict, My favorite setting for a play, I'm sure. It takes place in a room full of books. :) The story is melodramatic and not quite to my taste, but I would love to be in charge of arranging the stage.
Go Back for Murder. This story was easier to follow than the movie version I saw. However, I think the makeup for Clare and Caroline would be tricky on the stage. I would love to see this on the stage though.
I'm not keeping this due to room on my shelves.
This play is pure Agatha Christie and reading it,
I'm never eager to read plays because I struggle not to read the stage direction (which never makes any sense to me at all) which tends to keep me from enjoying the story, but I could totally see the stage almost immediately, and I just lost myself in the audience.
The next time I'm in London, seeing this play is one of two non-negotiable must-do's (Ceremony of the Keys is #1).
[PopSugar 2015 Reading Challenge: A Play.]
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Also include Ten Little Indians and Witness for the Prosecution, both made into classic films, as well as Appointment with Death, The Hollow, Towards Zero, Go Back to Murder, and The Verdict.