4 STARS, March 28-31. A fresh interpretation of an Agatha Christie classic, says Alison Hunt
As a big Agatha Christie fan in my teenage years, I was greatly looking forward to seeing Love From a Stranger. The plot is based on ‘Philomel Cottage’, a short story penned by Christie in 1924, which she adapted with Frank Vosper in 1936 into a ‘brilliant terror play’. Time has moved on and director Lucy Bailey has freshened things up, moving the timeline to the fifties and creating a chilling psychological drama for a modern audience.
The play opens to Cecily Harrington’s shared Bayswater flat. Her Aunt Lulu and friend Mavis are packing as Cecily is moving out – she has recently won £25,000 on a sweepstake and is looking to rent out the property. We also learn that her fiancé is returning from the Sudan today and they are finally going to be married. It quickly becomes apparent that Cecily, skilfully played by Helen Bradbury, is dissatisfied with her lot; fiancé Michael (Justin Avoth) is dull, decent and dependable – completely lacking the excitement and adventure Cecily yearns for.
The story builds slowly, with Cecily discussing her doubts regarding her forthcoming marriage, when suddenly a prospective tenant turns up to the view the flat. Bruce Lovell, brilliantly played by Sam Frenchum, is a well-travelled American, who impresses Cecily with his tales of adventure and confident charm.
To say we were in little doubt of Bruce’s character right from the start is putting it mildly – we raised eyebrows at his dodgy accent but audibly gasped when he was glimpsed surreptitiously sniffing the clothes on Cecily’s bed when she wasn’t looking. But Cecily’s head was being well and truly turned. We soon realise poor, dependable Michael’s heart is to be broken, much to Mavis and Aunt Lulu’s horror.
Photographer: Binney
Act II reveals that Cecily had actually married creepy Bruce and they were now living in a remote cottage in the country. And while they start off in seeming marital bliss, the tension soon builds. Bruce clearly dislikes company, insisting he wants Cecily ‘all to himself’, refusing to have a telephone installed and attempting to cut her off from her friends and family.
We see Cecily signing legal papers for Bruce that she insists she ‘doesn’t need to read’ and learn that she has paid a whopping £1,500 for the cottage as ‘Bruce’s money is all tied up’. We also notice Bruce eavesdropping, reading weird crime pamphlets and taking constant photographs to furtively develop in a darkroom in the basement that no one is allowed to enter. The alarm bells haven’t stopped ringing. But while at this point we may have confidently predicted where the story was headed, nothing is quite what it seems and there are a few surprises ahead of us.
Mike Britton’s sliding set is fabulous, and the lighting and sound cleverly combine to create an incredibly chilling atmosphere that effectively builds the tension. Nicola Sanderson’s Aunt Lulu and Molly Logan’s Ethel provide some much-needed moments of light relief and Gareth William’s Hodgson the straight-talking gardener was a particular favourite.
Not everything is explained and we heard many audience members asking questions as we left. The first act also builds frustratingly slowly, which is thankfully made up for in Act II. But ultimately Love from a Stranger is a largely satisfying and highly enjoyable crime thriller that does exactly what it says on the tin.
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