THORNBURY Methodist Players have been in existence for 35 years, but Agatha Christie’s The Hollow must surely rate as one of their most stylish productions. The set was great having so many authentic touches. Excellent costume selection, particularly for the female cast members, ensured everything oozed elite living in 1950. Professional sound and lighting made for good production values, and John Lewis as the butler, Gudgeon, and Sue Lewis as the maid, Doris, played their cameo roles so well it really added to the carefully created atmosphere of the times.

The Hollow is a long and wordy play, but Andrew Cullyer’s direction ensured that the pace was always good. Andrew made excellent use of the very well designed garden room single set, managing the multiple entrances and exits easily.

It is a long time before we see the murder in this play. Consequently, the plot relies heavily on character development before the questions arise, who killed the odious Dr John Cristow, and why? Only a very good cast can pull off that kind of character plotting, and there were some outstanding performances. Sarah Cullyer was totally transfixing as Henrietta Angkatell. Her acting talents are growing so quickly now she has very much become one to watch locally.

Ian Cornes was, as always, convincing in his portrayal of Sir Henry Angkatell, and Cath Chappel was just brilliant as his absent minded and dotty Lady wife. Cath’s comedic timing is excellent and she is amongst the best you will find in that kind of role. With Naomi Dunn playing Midge, a girl trying to make her own way in life, and Nicki Crabtree playing film star, Veronica Craye, we were treated to very different but well-drawn 1950s female characters.

Chris Dixon-Lewis is a very good character actor and he played the hapless Edward Angkatell to perfection. He really made you feel for him and that is not a given in an Agatha Christie play where characters are always fulsome but not necessarily people you can easily care about.

Richard Prior’s portrayal of Dr John Cristow was clever and very well directed. Arrogant, unpleasant to his wife and adulterous, he could have fallen into the trap of creating a pantomime villain, but Richard’s performance was spot on, even if we were still glad when he was shot!

So, once Cristow was dead, the thoughtful Inspector Calquhoun, played by Richard Crabtree was on the case with trusty DS Penny, played by Chris Bentley. Richard has a fabulous voice and it made a change to see the archetypal Inspector played softly, softly. Chris made the most of his opportunities to spend time questioning the maids, and of course the clever Inspector discovered who the murderer was; Gerda Cristow, no less, played so well by Sarah Wiggins. The role of Gerda isn’t at all easy. First we see her as a timid, subservient soul, to put us off the scent, and then find she is actually a calculating, clever killer and pretty close to unhinged. Not for the first time, Sarah demonstrated she is capable of portraying anything convincingly.

Andrew Cullyer’s production was a real treat. He should be justifiably pleased with his success in putting together and directing such a strong cast, as well as making a very long play race along whilst making the most of the lighter moments. I enjoyed it immensely.

By Tony Domaille