Agatha Christie's Black Coffee turns 78 this year. It was her first play, later turned into the novel, "Le Coffret de Jaque" (aka "Lackered Box" (English spelling for "Lacquered Box"). It introduced to the stage her most popular character, Hercule Poirot.
In Black Coffee, Poirot is charged with finding Britain's leading physicist, Sir Claud Amory's (Bud Emerson) valuable formula. Suspects abound, each highly motivated to perpetrate this heinous crime. They keep streaming in and out of the elegantly appointed library in his home outside of London.
Richard (Steve Murdock), the son, and his wife, Lucia (Elizabeth Mander-Wilson), would both love to share in the wealth. His sister Caroline (Lizette Kent Allen) as well as his niece, Barbara (Jessica Seaman), seem to have a need for ill-gotten gains. With relatives like these, who needs enemies?
One certainly would not suspect his secretary, Edward Raynor (Terence J. Burke), or his butler, Treadwell (Timothy Paul Evans). Last on the long list of suspects is an unexpected (albeit somewhat mysterious) Italian guest, Dr. Carelli (Nicolas Peters). Just why is the good doctor visiting Richard's wife, Lucia?
Sir Amory enlists the famed Hercule Poirot (Michael Gardner) to investigate. Poirot asks the help of Captain Hastings (Ivan Harrison), Inspector Japp (Nick Reeves), and Dr. Graham (Eric Hedberg) to aid in the investigation and interrogations. (There will be a test at the end of this review on who's who and why!)
At just shy of two and a half hours with intermission, the investigation gets a bit tedious. It comes from a period when most plays were three acts and over two hours long. From an historical view, Black Coffee did introduce the theater world to a writer that would go on to create a very special niche in the mystery genre.
Set Designer Rosemary King creates an elegant platform for the production. Add to her artistry elegant furnishing by set dresser Ivan J. Harrison and excellent period costumes by Angela Wills. Dale Goodman's lighting design works well as does Steve Murdock's sound design. Elizabeth Mander-Wilson and Ivan Harrison coached the cast in the British dialect.
On the night I witnessed the production, the theater and much of San Diego County was pelted by a hard rain and hail. The roof and ceiling seemed to further amplify the sounds of nature. Consequently, the cast had to project over this roar. Sadly some of Christie's dialogue was lost. Still, for the Christie fans, Black Coffee should be on their list.
