Review: MRS. CHRISTIE at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley opens its 53rd  season with the West Coast premiere of Heidi Armbruster’s fictional account of the unsolved 1926 disappearance of one of the greatest mystery writers, Agatha Christie. Her abandoned car was found in some bushes; police suspected foul play. 11 days later Christie was discovered in a Yorkshire hotel. Speculation was that her husband’s affair and the recent death of her beloved mother pushed Christie over the edge, another theory is that she suffered a concussion and resulting amnesia from the car crash.

Armbruster uses this mystery as her base plot, and smartly adds in a parallel time-shifting component involving present-day Lucy, an Ohio mixologist attending a Christie Fest whose attempt to find a lost manuscript adds a double mystery. Director Giovanna Sardelli helms the production for the second time and has a handle on how to present the parallel timelines. At times the past and present join with Lucy (Nicole Javier) and Agatha (Jennifer Le Blanc) resolving their shared existential crises. Christie’s fictional detective, Hercule Poirot also becomes a pivotal character.

The first act develops the frayed relationship between the Christie’s. Husband Archie (Aldo Billingslea) has taken a young mistress Nancy Neele (Kina Kantor) who he flaunts and he’s not keen of Agatha’s burgeoning writing career. Agatha’s dutiful secretary Charlotte (Elissa Beth Stebbins) does her best to make sure Agatha eats, rests and most importantly, realizes the reality that the marriage is over.

Simultaneously, we meet Lucy, a Christie super fan, the elder Jane (Lucinda Hitchcock Cone), and William (Max Tachis), another fan who provides a critical clue to the mystery. The two plots weave and merge with Sardelli skillfully directing the action set in Christopher Fitzer’s lovely English manor set. Kudos to Cathleen Edwards's Roaring Twenties costumes.

The second act has the real teeth to this production. Agatha is having her breakdown and converses with Hercule Poirot (William Thomas Hodgson) who helps her to move on with her solo life. Similarly, Lucy must move through the loss of her sister and begin her second act. The ensemble acting is fine throughout and the speculation about Christie’s disappearance is an interesting notion.   

Mrs. Christie continues through October 29th. For more information, please visit the link below or call the box office at 877-662-8978.

Photo Credit: Kevin Berne

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