Do you love ‘whodunits’, murder mysteries with riveting twists at every moment? If yes, then I highly suggest a visit to County Hall to see Agatha Christie’s Witness for the Prosecution. It is the best, most engaging production I have seen on stage this year.
The venue of County Hall truly is completely immersive. You feel that you are in a courtroom watching the gripping drama unfold. The attention to detail is also stunning. Take the time to watch all the actors – even the ones who don’t even say a line are fully committed to their roles. It all adds up to a very naturalistic performance, even more real to us as the audience.
I was lucky enough to be sitting in the jury seats for this show. This meant that beforehand we were sworn into the jury and given notebooks to make notes on the court happenings. Whenever court was in session, we would stand with the actors in a spotlight. This made the show even more captivating as we felt obliged to listen as one man’s fate was put in our own hands! The jurors even determine the end of the play (well not really – as they assume you’ll vote one way) – by voting guilty or not guilty (I was very pleased with myself - the only juror who voted correctly)!
The intriguing characters had me constantly changing my mind, and with a high intensity decision to make, I can whole-heartedly say that I was completely absorbed for the entire performance (I was so focussed I even had to get another pencil as mine became blunt in a mere hour due to all my notes)!
I won’t spoil the plot, but I feel that this experience is even better if you have not previously read this book (or don’t remember it) as it meant I truly had no idea if the man on trial was guilty or not.
This is a serious performance, so recommended for children aged 10+. Death is mentioned quite a bit and the plot is complex.
If I have convinced you to go, I will share my insider knowledge with you… if you are lucky enough to find jury seats available, the seat furthest to the left on the front row is the Head Juror’s seat. You will be asked to speak to the entire theatre at the end of the performance to state the jury’s choice. I hope you love it as much as I did!
