"And Then There Were None". Pilch. Review by Victoria Tayler

If this production deserves one accolade, it is for precision, hard won through apt casting choices, sophisticated direction, and a flawless aesthetic. This is immediately evident from the very choice of production. “And Then There Were None” is OUDS’ 2025 BAME show, and it is an inspired pick. 

The 1940s novel-turned-screenplay by crime writer Agatha Christie confronts us with its uncomfortable history. The play follows a ‘whodunnit’ murder mystery structured around a nursery rhyme from an 1869 Minstrel show, and originally made prolific use of the N word, in its title and key plot elements. It was later renamed, equally uncomfortably, to “Ten Little Indians,” (the name that saw it through its 1945 Broadway run) with its current title only coming into play in the mid-2000s. 

The OUDS BAME production grapples with play’s history by oscillating between sincerity and parody, and employing Kevin Elyot’s 2005 script, where “soldier” stands in for the slurs of previous titles. The quintessentially English character of the drama allows our team to make a dozen sarcastic quips even within the confines of the Christie’s writing. A disdaining Marston (Akarsh Shankar) is our first taste of this (“Got some fancy Christian names hasn’t he?”) but it’s an undercurrent which textures the whole play, transforming inconsequential trite lines into genuine knee slappers. 

The team rises expertly to the challenge of a play with a dozen moving parts. From the get-go, immaculate costume design by Vanessa Chan renders it abundantly clear who’s who, and leaves us to speculate who’s what. Each performer has dialed in the mannerisms, voice, and motivations of their character. As viewers, it is exceptionally easy to hold everyone in our heads, even in those opening moments when all ten characters successively trickle onto stage. Perhaps I should say, seductively trickle onto stage: it is impossible to take your eyes off this cast. 

A keen eye for directing also helps. Of the many successes of the director (Hafeja Khanam), one is undoubtedly staging. I harbour no false pretensions that staging a cast of ten in the Pilch is easy, but Khanam sure makes it look that way. Once again, the effect is that every single character is engaging, distinctive, conspicuous. We feel acutely the panic: ‘Whodunnit?’

Whilst we’re on the subject of engaging and distinctive, a necessary shoutout must be given to Detective Blore’s (Kapil Narain) gloriously transatlantic accent (“cheese and celery!”) and comically perfect 20th century mannerisms. Dr Armstrong (Eunbi Han) is a close runner-up, clipped, defensive: “No thanks I never touch it”. I’m hardly a stickler for such things but the attention to detail here can’t be praised enough. The Pilch, a sometimes awkward space, takes on the feeling of a huge 20th century drawing room. In the brooding noir atmosphere created by the team, one almost sees in black and white. 

Perhaps my only criticism of this production, ironically, regards the setting of atmosphere elsewhere in the script. The shift from enigmatic island party to potential danger zone didn’t quite arrive with the level of intrigue, fear, and suddenness I anticipated. Startled by an unidentifiable, insidious voice on the gramophone, our characters are publicly reminded of crimes they’d like to forget, namely, lives they had ended, deaths they had caused. It is (at least, one must presume) a horrifying moment for a crowd of strangers hardly an hour into their sunny Devon-Island holiday. 

However, this production reveals such a moment rather slowly, with an extended, disbelieving, and somewhat exaggerated shock. Our actors stand agape but somewhat stunted and restrained, failing to deliver on their apparent fear. They remain talking in polite sequence, when one might expect their voices to run into each other. Compared to the fine displays of emotion which follow, this scene (crucial for audiences unfamiliar with the story) lags behind.

But this is a minor criticism. The heights of tension reached after this point are immense and the actual bulk of the play is well-calibrated. One gets the impression that this cast is extremely well rehearsed, or else extremely tuned in. There are moments in which you can genuinely lose yourself. The animosity between Mr Rogers (Vivi Li) and Emily Brent (Chelsea Iwunze) following the second murder, is delicious. Indeed, Chelsea Iwunze is immaculate when it comes to the timing of her lines as the plot heats up: “Conscience!” Philip Lombard (Grace Yu) really comes into her character in the second half, moving from a literal gunslinging macho to a profoundly human, sardonic, (somewhat existential?) pseudo-love interest. 

Typically, I would hone in on three performers deserving of an extended mention. It would, however, be impossible to do that for this show. Everyone is a star.