REVIEW: An Agatha Christie classic from GADOC

Wednesday 31 August 2022

Having never seen Witness for the Prosecution before, I went into GADOC’s production of the play full of expectation and with an open mind – I was not disappointed.

The performance, split across three acts with intervals in-between, was well structured, allowing for ponderance and excitement to build before the next reveal of information to the audience… is Leonard Vole innocent? Will his wife echo his alibi? Why was he so friendly with the wealthy victim? How did that blood get on his shirt?

Credit goes to all the cast and crew, especially Director Mike Sullivan-Pugh, for convincingly converting the Beau Sejour theatre into both a solicitor’s office and the Old Bailey for the gripping criminal drama, which surprisingly had a consistent spread of laughs and gags throughout. 

One such gag came when prosecutor Mr Myers, played by Dave Foote, adjusted his wig each time he stood and sat down in the court, exaggeratedly clearing his throat each time he did so. 

But those moments were adequately intercut with moments of silence and tension. Vole, played by the towering Ethan Hitchon, broke convention in the court by loudly interjecting in disbelief when his wife Romaine (Dani Robin) directly implicates him in the murder.

But a pin could be heard when Vole’s defence counsel, Sir Wilfred Robarts (Danny Barker) summed up his arguments, leaving the prosecution visibly deflated and despairing after their case collapsed. 

Pictured: The cast flanking Director Mike Sullivan-Pugh (front centre). 

Mike Lucas’s set design was impressively minimalist and understated in both Sir Wilfred’s office, and the central criminal court. What looked like old wooden banisters and curtain mounts lined the various areas of the court making it feel as though it was from yesteryear.

The standard of acting was similarly impressive.

The Judge, played by Nik Van Leuven, was shockingly convincing in the role. It was only after the show that I learned his real-life profession easily explains the performance. 

Hitchon espoused brilliant naivety and sincerity in his account of his actions on the night of the murder, triggering great (and ultimately misplaced) sympathy. 

Both Barker and Nel Schoeman were fantastically astute as the defence lawyers, suitably upper-class and highly professional, but without indications of pomposity. A real duo.

Robin performed the German Romaine with great passion, and Jenny Lambert’s piercing scream at the very end of the show reinforced the grisly background of the play’s events, which were often obscured by the technical legal jargon and journey that the audience is taken on.

But above all, I was reminded of the vast talent pool present in the island which, when you peel back the curtain, can be found in swathes.