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And Then There Were None, a play in two acts by Dame Agatha Christie recounts the mystery of ten people stranded on an island (No not Gilligan’s Island) who begin to mysteriously end up dead. Is it someone on the island or an outside force that seems to have it in for the ten supposed strangers?

Mr. and Mrs. Rogers, a kindly couple who are keeping the house operational while the owner is away, were played by Bailey Center and Amy Wolf. Wolf came off a bit nervous, complaining about the “rich folk and their heirs.” She was enjoyable to watch. Mr. Rogers made a good balance to Mrs. Rogers’ uptightness. Center was much more laid back and accommodating. Fred Narracott played by Howard Soroos set the stage by dropping everyone off on the island and then disappearing. Though a small part, Soroos was key in setting the initial mood of the production.

Vera Claythorne, the spunky young secretary who arrived to make sure all was in order to welcome the guests to the island was played by Jenni Patton. Though she was young, her maturity allowed the other guests to regard her as capable and efficient. Philip Lombard (Richard Isaacs) had a crush on Vera. Somewhat of a mystery, Isaacs had charm oozing out of every pore and held a rascally kind of attitude. He and Patton seemed to get along well and had a comfortable camaraderie, even as Lombard was scheming to make an advance on the secretary. Evan Milberg as Anthony Marston spent a short amount of time on the island, but his time was well-spent as a humorous, easy-going, likable rascal.

William Blore (Gary Cramer) turned his character into a rather awkward man with a nervous handshake. He was hyper. Equally as uptight was Dr. Armstrong played by Bob Cohen. The kindly old doctor had secrets he manged to keep through most of the show. Emily Brent (Bonnie Jourdan) was a somewhat grumpy older woman who liked things her way and her way only. Jourdan’s sermonizing was well-timed, making her appear to be quite unfriendly.

General MacKenzie played by Jim Howard made his character into a stately old English gentleman who was not always sure what was going on around him. His general bearing was appropriate to his character. Lastly was Sir Lawrence Wargrave played by David James. James made the gruff magistrate into a reasonable detective, yet also maintained an undercurrent of anger.

Set Designers John Downing and Bill Glikbarg built a realistic set that was big, but not overwhelming. A nice attention to detail was shown and the Set Painting by De Nicholson-Lamb was well done. The cast and director Roland Gomez used the space creatively to keep the audience off track in attempting to figure out who the murderer was.

Try to watch everyone’s movements on the stage, but they probably won’t help you figure out who did it. The murderer performed a wonderfully creepy monologue at the end of the show, causing realistic and frightening reactions from the last victim. Aldersgate’s And Then There Were None was a well-timed, well-performed Agatha Christie classic.

Photo Gallery

Planning the Arrival. Howard Soroos, Amy Wolf and Bailey R. Center	Everyone is Accused. Evan Milberg, Amy Wolf (on floor) Bob Cohen, Bailey R. Center, Davis James, Jenni Patton and Jim Howard
Blore Unmasked. Standing, David James, Richard Isaacs, Bailey R. Center, Evan Milberg, Seated Gary Cramer and Jenni Patton	Searching the Island. Gary Cramer, Richard Isaacs, Bob Cohen and Bonnie Jourdan (seated)

Photos by Doug Olmsted

Cast

• Rogers: Bailey R. Center
• Mrs. Rogers: Amy Wolf
• Fred Narracott: Howard Soroos
• Vera Claythorne: Jenni Patton
• Philip Lombard: Richard Isaacs
• Anthony Marston: Evan Milberg
• William Blore: Gary Cramer
• General MacKenzie: Jim Howard
• Emily Brent: Bonnie Jourdan
• Sir Lawrence Wargrave: David James
• Mr. Armstrong: Bob Cohen

Production & Creative Staff

• Producers: Jayn Rife and Jim Howard
• Director: Roland Gomez
• Assistant Director: Eddy Parker
• Set Design: John Downing and Bill Glikbarg
• Stage Manager: Marg Soroos
• Set Construction: Stuart Travis
• Assisted by: Rock Vaughan, Jim Howard, Bill Glikbarg, John Downing, Eddy Parker, David James, Gary Cramer
• Set Decoration: Susan Driscoll-Blount
• Assisted by: Jim Howard, Eddy Parker
• Set Painting: De Nicolson-Lamb
• Assisted by: Eddy Parker, Richard Isaacs
• Properties: Judy Kee
• Lighting Design: Chris Handy
• Light Technicians: Sarah Bowman and Charlie Thomas
• Sound Design: David Correia
• Sound Technician: Kate Kershaw
• Costume Design: Kathy Dodson
• Wardrobe: Margaret Snow
• Special Effects: Art Snow
• Photographers: Doug Olmsted and Howard Soroos
• Dialect Coach: Heather Sanderson
• Double Tech Dinner: Jim Howard
• Opening Night Party: Benny Robles and Ronnie Hardcastle
• Usher Coordinator: Shirley B. Bolsted
• Front of House: Julie Pfister
• Audition Table: Eddy Parker and Liz Tipton

Disclaimer: Aldersgate Church Community Theater provided two complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.