Review: WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION gives whodunnit twists and turns

I do love me a whodunnit! Agatha Christie is one of my absolute favourites, so I was very happy to head down to Theatre on the Bay to see WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION - one of the author's top works.

The story is full of all the classic stuff you'd expect from an Agatha Christie. Twists and turns, red herrings as to who the murderer is, characters clearly lying (but for what reason?!) and some very sharp dalogue. In this version of WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION, that dialogue was delivered beautifully. We had plenty of laughs throughout the play. 

Standout performances for me came from Graham Hopkins as Wilfred Robards and Dianne Simpson in both her roles - Greta and Janet MacKenzie. Simpson was absolutely delightful in her characterisations and gave two very clear portrayals that are equally strong. Hopkins carries the play with strength and laughs - it's a winning combination. I also want to give special mention to Peter Terry as Justice Wainwright. His quintessential British bulldog facial expressions had me in stitches the whole way through.

The set was also great. Too often a box set is used in an Agatha Christie, but this production features some very clever design by Sarah Roberts and Nadine Minnaar. I also admired how slick the scene changes were. Although it was all a little let down by the fact that I could see the set items not in use in the wings. There was no attempt to hide them, and they appeared to get in the way for some cast members trying to get on stage.

I've seen many Agatha Christies over the years, including this one before (which is why I thought it was strange that the marketing said this was the first time in SA), and I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this production. The cast kept the audience guessing through all of the twists and turns, and laughing at some of the wonderful comic moments. It's good fun and worth a night out at the theatre.

WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION is on at Theatre on the Bay until 10 August. Tickets range from R180 – R300 and can be booked on Webtickets.

Photo credit: Keaton Ditchfield

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