A Daughter's a Daughter
A daughter opposes her mother's plan to remarry.
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A daughter opposes her mother's plan to remarry.
Agatha Christie's play follows Pharaoh Akhnaton's religious reforms and political decline. As he elevates Ra and suppresses the old cult of Amon, unrest, famine and rebellion grow. Horemheb, Meriptah and Nezzemut plot his overthrow; Nefertiti is deceived into poisoning Akhnaton, and the epilogue announces the restoration of Amon's religion.
After Sir Roger Ackroyd is found stabbed in his study, Hercule Poirot investigates the household's suspects and uncovers the doctor's role in the murder and an earlier blackmail scheme.
Eight guests arrive at an isolated island mansion, where a gramophone recording accuses them of past crimes and they begin dying one by one. Christie’s stage version changes the novel’s ending: two characters are innocent, survive the ordeal and reunite.
During a tour in Palestine, a family lives under the control of the tyrannical Mrs Boynton, whose death becomes the mystery. In Christie’s stage version, Mrs Boynton dies by suicide and leaves red herrings to keep her family suspicious of one another; unlike the novel, Lady Westholme is not the killer.
Scientist Sir Claud Amory discovers that his formula for a new explosive has been stolen and gathers his household while awaiting Hercule Poirot. Amory is found dead after the lights go out, and Poirot investigates the poisoned coffee, a duplicate safe key, and a blackmail scheme linked to an international spy’s daughter. The suspects’ efforts to protect one another and conceal the formula complicate the case until Poirot exposes the thief and murderer.
Young conspirators hide a dead tycoon’s body to gain an inheritance. Their financial scheme grows dangerous when they discover that the supposed natural death was murder.
Go Back for Murder is a 1960 mystery play by the British writer Agatha Christie. It is an adaptation of her 1942 novel Five Little Pigs, with the principal character of the book Hercule Poirot removed from the story. Much of the detective work is taken over by Carla Crale, daughter of the murder victim, with the assistance of Justin Fogg, a lawyer. It premiered at the King's Theatre in Edinburgh. It then transferred to the Duchess Theatre in London's West End where it ran for 37 performances. It received a poor reception from critics. The London cast included Robert Urquhart, Lisa Daniely, Ann Firbank, Margot Boyd, Mark Eden, Dorothy Bromiley and Nigel Green. It was directed by Hubert Gregg.
In a village where deaths have been mistaken for accidents, former police officer Luke Fitzwilliam investigates a suspected serial killer with Bridget Conway's help.
A body is found in the vicar’s home; amid numerous suspects and multiple confessions, Miss Marple works to unravel the murder.
A bride is murdered aboard the paddle steamer Lotus, and the passengers must work out who killed her. Christie recasts characters from her novel: Kay and Simon Mostyn are the newlyweds, while Jacqueline de Severac is Kay’s former friend and Simon’s former fiancée; Canon Pennefather combines three characters from the book.
When snow strands the Orient Express, a passenger is found murdered in a locked compartment. Hercule Poirot investigates the travelers aboard the isolated train, where the killer may still be among them.
A Hercule Poirot mystery set over five days at St. Loo in Cornwall, unfolding across the Majestic Hotel terrace and End House.
At a cocktail party, James Brent receives a call from a woman named Fay, supposedly waiting at the station where his first wife died. Further calls reveal that James has concealed his wife’s identity and the circumstances of her death. A later encounter at the station turns the calls into a trap exposing James as a serial killer, though a final unexplained call leaves Pam unsettled.
At a rented country house, imaginative Clarissa Hailsham-Brown finds a body and tries to protect her stepdaughter by hiding it and arranging a false alibi. A police investigation and a series of discoveries expose the real killer and a drug-dealing scheme.
The action of the play passes in the garden room of Sir Henry Angkatell's house, The Hollow, about eighteen miles from London. Time: the present. ACT I A Friday afternoon in early September The play begins with Henrietta Angkatell (Henry's younger cousin, in her 30s) working on a sculpture and Sir Henry Angkatell reading a newspaper. Lucy Angkatell, Henry's wife, soon enters and makes some characteristically disjointed statements about moles in the garden. Discussion reveals that a number of guests will be arriving to spend the weekend at The Hollow. The first guest to arrive is Midge Hardcastle, another cousin to the Angkatells. The group reflects on a portrait of Ainswick, an estate once inhabited by Lucy Angkatell. Midge and Henrietta remember Ainswick fondly as well, having spent a part of their childhood or adolescence there. Gudgeon, the butler, soon shows in the next guest, Edward Angkatell, yet another cousin and the current owner and resident of Ainswick. It is made clear that Midge is in love with Edward, but Edward is in love with Henrietta. The Angkatell clan briefly leaves the stage, and Gudgeon returns with a maid in training, the working-class Doris. A car is heard, and Gudgeon greets the final guests, John and Gerda Cristow, a successful but condescending doctor and his slow-witted wife. After establishing that John doesn't think much of Gerda's intelligence, he departs, and Henrietta enters and warmly greets Gerda. Henrietta gives Gerda a statuette for which she had previously posed. John, Sir Henry, and Midge return from the garden, and John expresses disdain for the statuette. To break the tension, Henry mentions that film star Veronica Craye is currently residing nearby, in a cottage called Dovecotes. John and Henrietta find themselves alone on stage, and after John reveals that he and Veronica Craye were once lovers, it becomes apparent that he and Henrietta are currently having an affair. Edward walks in on an intimate moment between the two, and John leaves. Edward tries to convince Henrietta to return with him to Ainswick, but is rebuffed. Henrietta leaves to get dressed for a formal dinner, and Sir Henry and Midge come onstage. Midge discusses her employment at a dress shop, rejecting her cousins' pleas to accept their financial support and aristocratic lifestyle. As the Angkatells and Cristows all return to the stage, Veronica Craye makes a surprise appearance. She complains that her cottage has lost power, and her lighter is not working, and so is in need of matches. While waiting for Gudgeon to return with the matches, Veronica notices John, and reveals their past to the group. She asks John, dazed by her appearance, to come over after dinner. He assents, and the act ends as Veronica departs and the rest of the cast goes to dinner. ACT II Scene 1 – Saturday morning John Cristow enters, quickly followed by Gudgeon who bears a note that displeases John. Midge enters, and John goes off in search of Henrietta. Lucy enters, and reveals to Midge that she saw John return to the house at three in the morning. Sir Henry then passes through the room with a pair of revolvers on his way to the shooting range, revealing that Lucy is an accomplished markswoman while convincing Midge to join him at the targets. Henrietta enters as shots are heard from off-stage, quickly followed by Gerda who is alarmed by the gunfire. Henrietta convinces Gerda to try shooting, and the two leave for the target alley. John enters and begins to write letters as Lucy leaves with a basket of eggs. Veronica enters, interrupting John and revealing that she sent the note delivered by Gudgeon at the top of the act. Veronica's lighter is now working, and she reveals that her residence at Dovecotes was part of a plot to reunite with John. She expresses an interest in leaving her current husband and marrying John, but John rebuffs her, expressing a newfound satisfaction with his marriage and regret over the romantic activities of his overnight visit to Dovecotes. Veronica leaves in a rage, but not before threatening John with the telling line, "If I can't have you, no one shall." John finds himself alone, hears a noise from offstage, and goes to investigate. Gunshots are heard, and as John staggers and collapses, a revolver is thrown onstage. Gerda is the first to enter, and picks up the revolver. The entire cast quickly enters, and John musters the strength to call the name "Henrietta." Henrietta wrests the revolver from Gerda, and Gudgeon calls for a doctor as the curtain falls. Scene 2 – Later the same day The curtain rises on Lucy, Edward, Henrietta, and Midge, sitting in an uncomfortable silence. Lucy expresses admiration for Inspector Colquhoun, the Scotland Yard detective investigating the murder. Gudgeon enters with lunch, and he and Lucy exchange clandestine comments about Lucy's basket of eggs. Lucy and Edward express the opinion that Gerda, having been discovered holding a gun near John after the shooting, is his murderer, while Henrietta insists that Gerda deserves a chance to defend herself. Gerda enters, soon followed by Sir Henry and Inspector Colquohoun. Colquohoun recommends that Gerda hire a solicitor before making a statement, but she declines, and describes her entrance as the audience observed immediately after the shooting. Gerda states that there was no disagreement between her and John in response to Colquohoun's queries. Colquohoun then asks to question Lucy who, delighted with the intrigue, readily complies. They leave with Sir Henry, leaving Edward and Henrietta alone. It becomes apparent that both knew about John and Veronica's rendezvous, Edward expresses sympathy for Henrietta's loss, and Henrietta has an emotional breakdown over John's death. Henrietta leaves as Midge enters. Edward pines for Henrietta while comforting Midge in fatherly way. She attempts to overcome his preconceptions, pointing out that she is "not a child" any more. Edward is called away to be questioned by the inspector, and Henrietta returns from a walk. She and Midge discuss Edward's misplaced affections, and Henrietta recommends that Midge be more bold with her advances. Lucy replaces Henrietta onstage, and expresses a desire for Henrietta and Edward to marry, ensuring that the Ainswick estate will remain in the family. The inspector enters with Police Sergeant Penny. They question Midge, who conceals her knowledge of John's affair with Henrietta, but acknowledges that John's final words were Henrietta's name. The police are left alone on stage. They note that Edward denies Cristow having any final words, while Sir Henry backs Midge's version of events. Henrietta returns, responds frankly to the inspector that she and John were romantically involved, and asserts that Gerda remains oblivious to the affair. Upon her departure, Colquohoun confides to Penny that the identity of the murderer is still unclear. Gudgeon enters, and hypothesizes that a mysterious handbag found on the sofa may belong to Veronica Craye. Fortuitously, Veronica appears, having heard about the murder. She claims John was obsessed with her, and that she had to rebuff his offer of reconciliation. She claims ownership of the handbag, but becomes irate when Colquohoun reveals a gun he found in the bag. Veronica storms out, refusing to comment further without a lawyer. ACT III (The lights are lowered during the act to denote the passing of one hour.) The following Monday morning The curtain rises on Inspector Colquohoun and Sergeant Penny looking at the portrait of Ainswick, and discussing the estate's inheritance. Doris enters, reveals that she saw Gudgeon carrying a revolver the day of the murder, and quickly leaves. Sir Henry enters, and upon being questioned about his firearm collection, says that the gun Gerda was holding at the time of the murder was among them, and that he had brought it to the target alley but had subsequently found it missing. Coulqouhoun states that ballistics evidence prove it was not the murder weapon after all. At Coulqouhoun's request, Henry checks his collection again, and discovers that a second gun of the same calibre is missing. Colquohoun shows him the gun found in Veronica's handbag, and Henry confirms that it is one and the same gun. Colquohoun then questions Gudgeon about Doris' earlier statement; Gudgeon confirms the event, saying he was simply up (having found the gun laying out), and had simply forgotten the incident. Lucy enters, dismisses Gudgeon, and reveals that the butler has been attempting to cover for her – the gun had been in her basket of eggs, though she claims not to remember why. When the detectives are gone, she confides to Henry that she had thought John might have an accident involving the basket, but that she would never actually go so far as to commit murder. Edward and Midge soon find themselves alone on stage. Edward's affections have changed, and he and Midge become engaged. Lucy enters, and is delighted by the news. Midge and Henrietta have a private conversation, and Midge begins to suspect that Edward has only proposed to create the illusion that he is not in love with Henrietta, which might be a motive for him to have murdered John. By the time Edward returns, Midge is convinced of this motivation, and calls off their engagement. Edward is distraught, and returns to the stage with a gun, clearly contemplating suicide. Midge finds him, confesses her fears, and the two reconcile. All depart for the formal inquest into the murder, and the lights fade. An hour later Gerda and Henrietta enter. Henrietta asks Gerda what she has done with the holster of the murder weapon, stating that if they can get rid of that, there will be no evidence, and no one will be convicted of the murder. Gerda feigns ignorance, but Henrietta is persistent.
The play is set in the Great Hall of Monkswell Manor, Berkshire, in what Christie described as "the present". Monkswell Manor is a recently converted guesthouse run by a young couple, Mollie and Giles Ralston. Mollie listens to a radio report about the murder of a woman named Maureen Lyon in Paddington, London; police are looking for a man in a dark overcoat. Their first four guests arrive: Christopher Wren, Mrs Boyle, Major Metcalf, and Miss Casewell. Christopher is an unkempt, flighty young man; Mrs Boyle is a constant complainer; Metcalf is an amiable ex-military man; and Miss Casewell is a mannish young woman. An unexpected fifth guest, Mr Paravicini, says his car has overturned in a snowdrift and the denizens of the house are snowed in. Uneasy, Mollie nevertheless places Paravicini in the last remaining room. The next afternoon, Sergeant Trotter of the Berkshire Police arrives at the guesthouse on skis, while Metcalf discovers that the phone has stopped working. Trotter explains he has been sent regarding the murder of Maureen Lyon. The dead woman and her husband had mistreated their three foster children, the Corrigans, which resulted in the youngest's death. Police suspect the killer is the elder Corrigan boy, who would now be twenty-two. A notebook at the murder scene contained the address of Monkswell Manor and the words "Three Blind Mice", while a note reading "This is the First" was pinned to the woman's body. Giles, Mollie, and all five guests deny a connection to the case. Afterward, Metcalf confronts Mrs Boyle, revealing that she was one of the magistrates who had assigned the children to the foster parents. Later in the evening, Mrs Boyle wanders back into the now-empty room. The opening notes of "Three Blind Mice" are heard whistled by an unknown party and the lights go out. Moments later, Mollie finds Mrs Boyle dead on the floor. Sergeant Trotter takes charge of the household, gathering the remaining residents together. Mollie cannot provide him with any useful clues. As each person recounts their whereabouts, Trotter observes various weaknesses in their stories, declaring that everyone had the opportunity to commit the murder. Giles counters that only one person fits the suspect's description: Christopher Wren, who insists that it is all a frame-up. Trotter adds that the dead boy had other relatives and loved ones who might be interested in revenge, meaning that anyone in the guesthouse could be the killer. He also notes that both Giles and Mollie had secretly been in London on the day of the first murder. Trotter forces the aghast Mollie to admit that the couple knows little about each other's pasts. Christopher Wren later confesses to Mollie that he is actually an army deserter under a false name, and Mollie acknowledges that she, too, is running away from her past. Again calling the household together, Trotter declares that he intends to check everyone's alibis. They will re-enact the murder; each person will act out another's alibi, with the hope that one alibi will be proved impossible. The household obediently disperses, leaving Trotter alone onstage. Trotter calls for Mollie and reveals he knows she was the schoolteacher of the Corrigan children. She failed to answer a letter the younger boy sent her, begging to be rescued from foster care. Due to illness, Mollie did not read the letter until after the boy's death; she is haunted by her failure to help. Trotter points a gun at Mollie, telling her that he is not a real policeman and that he cut the house's telephone wires. He is actually Georgie, the elder Corrigan brother. He begins to strangle Mollie, but is stopped by the sudden appearance of Miss Casewell. She calls him by name and reveals that she is his long-lost sister Kathy, come to take him somewhere safe. Metcalf discloses that he himself is an undercover policeman; he arranged to replace the real Metcalf at the guesthouse to investigate and hid Trotter's skis after growing suspicious, preventing Trotter from escaping. Giles and Mollie admit that they were both secretly in London buying presents, as today is their first wedding anniversary.
After a woman is injured in a fall from her balcony, her relatives gather at her hospital bed while investigators seek to understand what happened.
Two lovers arrive at an empty flat for drinks and discover they have been drawn into a murder plot.
A young drifter carrying a parcel to the Brent family’s country estate becomes entangled in a murder conspiracy involving diamonds, exiled royalty and a plan to restore a foreign monarchy.
On a foggy night, Michael Starkwedder enters a house and finds Richard Warwick dead, with Warwick’s wife Laura holding the gun. Michael doubts her guilt, and they try to shift suspicion to a man with a grievance against Richard as the mystery reveals their hidden connections.
Towards Zero is a 1956 thriller play by Agatha Christie and Gerald Verner and based on Christie's 1944 novel Towards Zero. It premiered at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham before transferring to the St James's Theatre in London's West End where it ran for 205 performances between 4 September 1956 and 2 March 1957. The London cast featured George Baker, Cyril Raymond, Frederick Leister, William Kendall, Max Brimmell, Michael Nightingale and Gillian Lind. The play features Superintendent Battle one of Christie's recurring characters. Reviews were favourable.
Professor Karl Hendryk’s wife Anya dies after his student Helen murders her and disguises the death as suicide. Karl withholds Helen’s confession; when evidence implicates Lisa, Karl’s cousin, Lisa is tried and acquitted, but leaves him before returning.
A murder trial at the Old Bailey alternates with scenes that reveal the lawyers' private reactions. Just as the case appears resolved, new testimony leads to a further reversal, turning the verdict into the beginning of another twist.
A daughter opposes her mother's plan to remarry.
Agatha Christie's play follows Pharaoh Akhnaton's religious reforms and political decline. As he elevates Ra and suppresses the old cult of Amon, unrest, famine and rebellion grow. Horemheb, Meriptah and Nezzemut plot his overthrow; Nefertiti is deceived into poisoning Akhnaton, and the epilogue announces the restoration of Amon's religion.
After Sir Roger Ackroyd is found stabbed in his study, Hercule Poirot investigates the household's suspects and uncovers the doctor's role in the murder and an earlier blackmail scheme.
Eight guests arrive at an isolated island mansion, where a gramophone recording accuses them of past crimes and they begin dying one by one. Christie’s stage version changes the novel’s ending: two characters are innocent, survive the ordeal and reunite.
During a tour in Palestine, a family lives under the control of the tyrannical Mrs Boynton, whose death becomes the mystery. In Christie’s stage version, Mrs Boynton dies by suicide and leaves red herrings to keep her family suspicious of one another; unlike the novel, Lady Westholme is not the killer.
Scientist Sir Claud Amory discovers that his formula for a new explosive has been stolen and gathers his household while awaiting Hercule Poirot. Amory is found dead after the lights go out, and Poirot investigates the poisoned coffee, a duplicate safe key, and a blackmail scheme linked to an international spy’s daughter. The suspects’ efforts to protect one another and conceal the formula complicate the case until Poirot exposes the thief and murderer.
Young conspirators hide a dead tycoon’s body to gain an inheritance. Their financial scheme grows dangerous when they discover that the supposed natural death was murder.
Go Back for Murder is a 1960 mystery play by the British writer Agatha Christie. It is an adaptation of her 1942 novel Five Little Pigs, with the principal character of the book Hercule Poirot removed from the story. Much of the detective work is taken over by Carla Crale, daughter of the murder victim, with the assistance of Justin Fogg, a lawyer. It premiered at the King's Theatre in Edinburgh. It then transferred to the Duchess Theatre in London's West End where it ran for 37 performances. It received a poor reception from critics. The London cast included Robert Urquhart, Lisa Daniely, Ann Firbank, Margot Boyd, Mark Eden, Dorothy Bromiley and Nigel Green. It was directed by Hubert Gregg.
In a village where deaths have been mistaken for accidents, former police officer Luke Fitzwilliam investigates a suspected serial killer with Bridget Conway's help.
A body is found in the vicar’s home; amid numerous suspects and multiple confessions, Miss Marple works to unravel the murder.
A bride is murdered aboard the paddle steamer Lotus, and the passengers must work out who killed her. Christie recasts characters from her novel: Kay and Simon Mostyn are the newlyweds, while Jacqueline de Severac is Kay’s former friend and Simon’s former fiancée; Canon Pennefather combines three characters from the book.
When snow strands the Orient Express, a passenger is found murdered in a locked compartment. Hercule Poirot investigates the travelers aboard the isolated train, where the killer may still be among them.
A Hercule Poirot mystery set over five days at St. Loo in Cornwall, unfolding across the Majestic Hotel terrace and End House.
At a cocktail party, James Brent receives a call from a woman named Fay, supposedly waiting at the station where his first wife died. Further calls reveal that James has concealed his wife’s identity and the circumstances of her death. A later encounter at the station turns the calls into a trap exposing James as a serial killer, though a final unexplained call leaves Pam unsettled.
At a rented country house, imaginative Clarissa Hailsham-Brown finds a body and tries to protect her stepdaughter by hiding it and arranging a false alibi. A police investigation and a series of discoveries expose the real killer and a drug-dealing scheme.
The action of the play passes in the garden room of Sir Henry Angkatell's house, The Hollow, about eighteen miles from London. Time: the present. ACT I A Friday afternoon in early September The play begins with Henrietta Angkatell (Henry's younger cousin, in her 30s) working on a sculpture and Sir Henry Angkatell reading a newspaper. Lucy Angkatell, Henry's wife, soon enters and makes some characteristically disjointed statements about moles in the garden. Discussion reveals that a number of guests will be arriving to spend the weekend at The Hollow. The first guest to arrive is Midge Hardcastle, another cousin to the Angkatells. The group reflects on a portrait of Ainswick, an estate once inhabited by Lucy Angkatell. Midge and Henrietta remember Ainswick fondly as well, having spent a part of their childhood or adolescence there. Gudgeon, the butler, soon shows in the next guest, Edward Angkatell, yet another cousin and the current owner and resident of Ainswick. It is made clear that Midge is in love with Edward, but Edward is in love with Henrietta. The Angkatell clan briefly leaves the stage, and Gudgeon returns with a maid in training, the working-class Doris. A car is heard, and Gudgeon greets the final guests, John and Gerda Cristow, a successful but condescending doctor and his slow-witted wife. After establishing that John doesn't think much of Gerda's intelligence, he departs, and Henrietta enters and warmly greets Gerda. Henrietta gives Gerda a statuette for which she had previously posed. John, Sir Henry, and Midge return from the garden, and John expresses disdain for the statuette. To break the tension, Henry mentions that film star Veronica Craye is currently residing nearby, in a cottage called Dovecotes. John and Henrietta find themselves alone on stage, and after John reveals that he and Veronica Craye were once lovers, it becomes apparent that he and Henrietta are currently having an affair. Edward walks in on an intimate moment between the two, and John leaves. Edward tries to convince Henrietta to return with him to Ainswick, but is rebuffed. Henrietta leaves to get dressed for a formal dinner, and Sir Henry and Midge come onstage. Midge discusses her employment at a dress shop, rejecting her cousins' pleas to accept their financial support and aristocratic lifestyle. As the Angkatells and Cristows all return to the stage, Veronica Craye makes a surprise appearance. She complains that her cottage has lost power, and her lighter is not working, and so is in need of matches. While waiting for Gudgeon to return with the matches, Veronica notices John, and reveals their past to the group. She asks John, dazed by her appearance, to come over after dinner. He assents, and the act ends as Veronica departs and the rest of the cast goes to dinner. ACT II Scene 1 – Saturday morning John Cristow enters, quickly followed by Gudgeon who bears a note that displeases John. Midge enters, and John goes off in search of Henrietta. Lucy enters, and reveals to Midge that she saw John return to the house at three in the morning. Sir Henry then passes through the room with a pair of revolvers on his way to the shooting range, revealing that Lucy is an accomplished markswoman while convincing Midge to join him at the targets. Henrietta enters as shots are heard from off-stage, quickly followed by Gerda who is alarmed by the gunfire. Henrietta convinces Gerda to try shooting, and the two leave for the target alley. John enters and begins to write letters as Lucy leaves with a basket of eggs. Veronica enters, interrupting John and revealing that she sent the note delivered by Gudgeon at the top of the act. Veronica's lighter is now working, and she reveals that her residence at Dovecotes was part of a plot to reunite with John. She expresses an interest in leaving her current husband and marrying John, but John rebuffs her, expressing a newfound satisfaction with his marriage and regret over the romantic activities of his overnight visit to Dovecotes. Veronica leaves in a rage, but not before threatening John with the telling line, "If I can't have you, no one shall." John finds himself alone, hears a noise from offstage, and goes to investigate. Gunshots are heard, and as John staggers and collapses, a revolver is thrown onstage. Gerda is the first to enter, and picks up the revolver. The entire cast quickly enters, and John musters the strength to call the name "Henrietta." Henrietta wrests the revolver from Gerda, and Gudgeon calls for a doctor as the curtain falls. Scene 2 – Later the same day The curtain rises on Lucy, Edward, Henrietta, and Midge, sitting in an uncomfortable silence. Lucy expresses admiration for Inspector Colquhoun, the Scotland Yard detective investigating the murder. Gudgeon enters with lunch, and he and Lucy exchange clandestine comments about Lucy's basket of eggs. Lucy and Edward express the opinion that Gerda, having been discovered holding a gun near John after the shooting, is his murderer, while Henrietta insists that Gerda deserves a chance to defend herself. Gerda enters, soon followed by Sir Henry and Inspector Colquohoun. Colquohoun recommends that Gerda hire a solicitor before making a statement, but she declines, and describes her entrance as the audience observed immediately after the shooting. Gerda states that there was no disagreement between her and John in response to Colquohoun's queries. Colquohoun then asks to question Lucy who, delighted with the intrigue, readily complies. They leave with Sir Henry, leaving Edward and Henrietta alone. It becomes apparent that both knew about John and Veronica's rendezvous, Edward expresses sympathy for Henrietta's loss, and Henrietta has an emotional breakdown over John's death. Henrietta leaves as Midge enters. Edward pines for Henrietta while comforting Midge in fatherly way. She attempts to overcome his preconceptions, pointing out that she is "not a child" any more. Edward is called away to be questioned by the inspector, and Henrietta returns from a walk. She and Midge discuss Edward's misplaced affections, and Henrietta recommends that Midge be more bold with her advances. Lucy replaces Henrietta onstage, and expresses a desire for Henrietta and Edward to marry, ensuring that the Ainswick estate will remain in the family. The inspector enters with Police Sergeant Penny. They question Midge, who conceals her knowledge of John's affair with Henrietta, but acknowledges that John's final words were Henrietta's name. The police are left alone on stage. They note that Edward denies Cristow having any final words, while Sir Henry backs Midge's version of events. Henrietta returns, responds frankly to the inspector that she and John were romantically involved, and asserts that Gerda remains oblivious to the affair. Upon her departure, Colquohoun confides to Penny that the identity of the murderer is still unclear. Gudgeon enters, and hypothesizes that a mysterious handbag found on the sofa may belong to Veronica Craye. Fortuitously, Veronica appears, having heard about the murder. She claims John was obsessed with her, and that she had to rebuff his offer of reconciliation. She claims ownership of the handbag, but becomes irate when Colquohoun reveals a gun he found in the bag. Veronica storms out, refusing to comment further without a lawyer. ACT III (The lights are lowered during the act to denote the passing of one hour.) The following Monday morning The curtain rises on Inspector Colquohoun and Sergeant Penny looking at the portrait of Ainswick, and discussing the estate's inheritance. Doris enters, reveals that she saw Gudgeon carrying a revolver the day of the murder, and quickly leaves. Sir Henry enters, and upon being questioned about his firearm collection, says that the gun Gerda was holding at the time of the murder was among them, and that he had brought it to the target alley but had subsequently found it missing. Coulqouhoun states that ballistics evidence prove it was not the murder weapon after all. At Coulqouhoun's request, Henry checks his collection again, and discovers that a second gun of the same calibre is missing. Colquohoun shows him the gun found in Veronica's handbag, and Henry confirms that it is one and the same gun. Colquohoun then questions Gudgeon about Doris' earlier statement; Gudgeon confirms the event, saying he was simply up (having found the gun laying out), and had simply forgotten the incident. Lucy enters, dismisses Gudgeon, and reveals that the butler has been attempting to cover for her – the gun had been in her basket of eggs, though she claims not to remember why. When the detectives are gone, she confides to Henry that she had thought John might have an accident involving the basket, but that she would never actually go so far as to commit murder. Edward and Midge soon find themselves alone on stage. Edward's affections have changed, and he and Midge become engaged. Lucy enters, and is delighted by the news. Midge and Henrietta have a private conversation, and Midge begins to suspect that Edward has only proposed to create the illusion that he is not in love with Henrietta, which might be a motive for him to have murdered John. By the time Edward returns, Midge is convinced of this motivation, and calls off their engagement. Edward is distraught, and returns to the stage with a gun, clearly contemplating suicide. Midge finds him, confesses her fears, and the two reconcile. All depart for the formal inquest into the murder, and the lights fade. An hour later Gerda and Henrietta enter. Henrietta asks Gerda what she has done with the holster of the murder weapon, stating that if they can get rid of that, there will be no evidence, and no one will be convicted of the murder. Gerda feigns ignorance, but Henrietta is persistent.
The play is set in the Great Hall of Monkswell Manor, Berkshire, in what Christie described as "the present". Monkswell Manor is a recently converted guesthouse run by a young couple, Mollie and Giles Ralston. Mollie listens to a radio report about the murder of a woman named Maureen Lyon in Paddington, London; police are looking for a man in a dark overcoat. Their first four guests arrive: Christopher Wren, Mrs Boyle, Major Metcalf, and Miss Casewell. Christopher is an unkempt, flighty young man; Mrs Boyle is a constant complainer; Metcalf is an amiable ex-military man; and Miss Casewell is a mannish young woman. An unexpected fifth guest, Mr Paravicini, says his car has overturned in a snowdrift and the denizens of the house are snowed in. Uneasy, Mollie nevertheless places Paravicini in the last remaining room. The next afternoon, Sergeant Trotter of the Berkshire Police arrives at the guesthouse on skis, while Metcalf discovers that the phone has stopped working. Trotter explains he has been sent regarding the murder of Maureen Lyon. The dead woman and her husband had mistreated their three foster children, the Corrigans, which resulted in the youngest's death. Police suspect the killer is the elder Corrigan boy, who would now be twenty-two. A notebook at the murder scene contained the address of Monkswell Manor and the words "Three Blind Mice", while a note reading "This is the First" was pinned to the woman's body. Giles, Mollie, and all five guests deny a connection to the case. Afterward, Metcalf confronts Mrs Boyle, revealing that she was one of the magistrates who had assigned the children to the foster parents. Later in the evening, Mrs Boyle wanders back into the now-empty room. The opening notes of "Three Blind Mice" are heard whistled by an unknown party and the lights go out. Moments later, Mollie finds Mrs Boyle dead on the floor. Sergeant Trotter takes charge of the household, gathering the remaining residents together. Mollie cannot provide him with any useful clues. As each person recounts their whereabouts, Trotter observes various weaknesses in their stories, declaring that everyone had the opportunity to commit the murder. Giles counters that only one person fits the suspect's description: Christopher Wren, who insists that it is all a frame-up. Trotter adds that the dead boy had other relatives and loved ones who might be interested in revenge, meaning that anyone in the guesthouse could be the killer. He also notes that both Giles and Mollie had secretly been in London on the day of the first murder. Trotter forces the aghast Mollie to admit that the couple knows little about each other's pasts. Christopher Wren later confesses to Mollie that he is actually an army deserter under a false name, and Mollie acknowledges that she, too, is running away from her past. Again calling the household together, Trotter declares that he intends to check everyone's alibis. They will re-enact the murder; each person will act out another's alibi, with the hope that one alibi will be proved impossible. The household obediently disperses, leaving Trotter alone onstage. Trotter calls for Mollie and reveals he knows she was the schoolteacher of the Corrigan children. She failed to answer a letter the younger boy sent her, begging to be rescued from foster care. Due to illness, Mollie did not read the letter until after the boy's death; she is haunted by her failure to help. Trotter points a gun at Mollie, telling her that he is not a real policeman and that he cut the house's telephone wires. He is actually Georgie, the elder Corrigan brother. He begins to strangle Mollie, but is stopped by the sudden appearance of Miss Casewell. She calls him by name and reveals that she is his long-lost sister Kathy, come to take him somewhere safe. Metcalf discloses that he himself is an undercover policeman; he arranged to replace the real Metcalf at the guesthouse to investigate and hid Trotter's skis after growing suspicious, preventing Trotter from escaping. Giles and Mollie admit that they were both secretly in London buying presents, as today is their first wedding anniversary.
After a woman is injured in a fall from her balcony, her relatives gather at her hospital bed while investigators seek to understand what happened.
Two lovers arrive at an empty flat for drinks and discover they have been drawn into a murder plot.
A young drifter carrying a parcel to the Brent family’s country estate becomes entangled in a murder conspiracy involving diamonds, exiled royalty and a plan to restore a foreign monarchy.
On a foggy night, Michael Starkwedder enters a house and finds Richard Warwick dead, with Warwick’s wife Laura holding the gun. Michael doubts her guilt, and they try to shift suspicion to a man with a grievance against Richard as the mystery reveals their hidden connections.
Towards Zero is a 1956 thriller play by Agatha Christie and Gerald Verner and based on Christie's 1944 novel Towards Zero. It premiered at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham before transferring to the St James's Theatre in London's West End where it ran for 205 performances between 4 September 1956 and 2 March 1957. The London cast featured George Baker, Cyril Raymond, Frederick Leister, William Kendall, Max Brimmell, Michael Nightingale and Gillian Lind. The play features Superintendent Battle one of Christie's recurring characters. Reviews were favourable.
Professor Karl Hendryk’s wife Anya dies after his student Helen murders her and disguises the death as suicide. Karl withholds Helen’s confession; when evidence implicates Lisa, Karl’s cousin, Lisa is tried and acquitted, but leaves him before returning.
A murder trial at the Old Bailey alternates with scenes that reveal the lawyers' private reactions. Just as the case appears resolved, new testimony leads to a further reversal, turning the verdict into the beginning of another twist.