(Left to Right) Laura E. Campbell as Lucia Amory and James Black as Hercule Poirot in the Alley Theatre’s production of Agatha Christie’s BLACK COFFEE. Photo

From: BWW Reviews: Agatha Christie's BLACK COFFEE - Beat the Summer Heat with This Chilling Treat

Many theatergoers in the Houston area agree that there is simply no better way to escape the summer heat than by enjoying the air-conditioning and fantastic who-done-it at the Alley Theatre. This year's selection for the annual Summer Chills series is BLACK COFFEE, the first play that Dame Agatha Christie wrote. BLACK COFFEE tells the story of a scientist's murder, with a cast of intriguing characters who all had at least one motive for wanting him dead. To solve the case Agatha Christie employs Hercule Poirot, who is one of literature's most famous detectives and, upon his 1975 death, the only fictional character to have an obituary published on the front page of The New York Times.