The Hollow

Review

Fine acting and an intriguing plot make Christie story a winner

In typical Agatha Christie style, The Hollow is a murder-mystery that twists and turns as the audience is taken on an intriguing journey to find the killer among a group of socialite friends.

The action starts at a leisurely pace as the foundations - and a dizzying array of possible motives - are laid down in the latest production by HumDrum. As the play gradually unfolds, relationships are revealed and the tension builds with the anticipation that a death can't be far round the corner.

When the murder does arrive, it's surrounded by a spider's web of suspects with half-a-dozen of the tight-knit group of friends under suspicion. The police are called in to try and untangle the mess and find the guilty culprit.

The audience is kept on tenterhooks and constantly guessing and changing their minds as to which of seemingly affable bunch could be responsible for the bloody crime. Tit-bits of information are leaked out as numerous characters are set up as the prime suspect, only for the notion to be swept away as a new strain of evidence comes to light.

As with all good murder-mysteries, The Hollow, directed by James George, doesn't show its hand until the closing sequences and while a few minutes could do with being trimmed off here and there to tighten up the play, HumDrum's adaptation is a finely-acted and absorbing piece of theatre.

Mike Allen– The News