Murder at the Vicarage (play)
Encyclopedia
Murder at the Vicarage is a 1949 play by Moie Charles and Barbara Toy based on the 1930 novel
of the same name by Agatha Christie
. Christie's official biography suggests that the play was written by Christie with changes then made by Charles and Toy, presumably enough for them to claim the credit. Whatever the truth of the authorship, Christie was enthusiastic about the play and attended its rehearsals and first night
It was first performed at the New Theatre, Northampton
on October 17, 1949 prior to moving to the Playhouse Theatre
in the West End
where it opened on December 16, 1949. The play was the first time that the character of Miss Marple
had been depicted outside the original books and she was portrayed by Barbara Mullen
. The director was Reginald Tate
who also played the part of Lawrence Redding. The play enjoyed a run of 126 performances, closing on April 1, 1950.
In its issue of December 15, 1949, The Times
gave an unenthusiastic review which began, "Everyone has a motive for killing. Nobody, unhappily, has any good stage reason for living. It is not until the final scene - the pressure of events then forcing two of the characters into melodramatic life - that we become aware that there was, after all, an effective one-act play in Miss Christie's novel". The unnamed reviewer complained of the "walking ciphers of the vicarage" and "the rather thin theatrical excitement of first one, then another confession, both of which possibly cancel each other". Despite these comments, the actors and the direction were both praised.
Ivor Brown
, reviewing the play in the December 18, 1949 issue of The Observer
said, "Barbara Mullen is excellent as that sharp-eyed Prodnose Miss Marple, along with that of Reginald Tate as the questionable painter and of Jack Lambert as the nice, dull, dutiful vicar, gives West End quality to a production otherwise on a less exalted level. The whole thing could have been made more effective by better casting of certain parts, however, the company, which started with a nervous over-emphasis and clouted us over their heads with their lines, steadied by half-time and the second act was very much more persuasive than the first."
After closing in the West End it was picked up later that year by Peter Saunders
for a national tour as he was desperate to recoup his losses from a failed staging of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's
1913 book, The Poison Belt
. He hit upon the idea that the name of the actors who starred in the production wouldn't really matter as Christie herself was enough of a public name to attract the audience. He therefore deliberately advertised the play as Agatha Christie's "Murder at the Vicarage" rather than "Murder at the Vicarage" by Agatha Christie. This small piece of showmanship worked. He recouped his losses and, more importantly, brought himself to the attention of Christie who, annoyed with the slow progress of the usual producer of her plays, Bertie Meyer, offered her latest play, The Hollow
to Saunders instead. This started an association between Saunders and Christie which was to last for many years and culminate in The Mousetrap
, the play with the longest continuing original run in theatre history.
Cast of 1949 London Production:
Barbara Mullen as Miss Marple
Jack Lambert as The Vicar (the Rev. Leonard Clement)
Genine Graham as Griselda (his wife)
Michael Newell as Dennis (his nephew)
Betty Sinclair as Mary (the maid)
Michael Darbyshire as Ronald Hawes (the curate)
Andrea Lee as Lettice Protheroe
Mildred Cottell as Mrs Price Ridley
Alvys Maben as Anne Protheroe
Reginald Tate as Lawrence Redding (an artist)
Francis Roberts as Dr John Haydock
Stanley Van Beers as Inspector Slack
The play was first published by Samuel French
in January 1951 (copyright dated 1950).
The Murder at the Vicarage
The Murder at the Vicarage is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in October 1930 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company later in the same year...
of the same name by Agatha Christie
Agatha Christie
Dame Agatha Christie DBE was a British crime writer of novels, short stories, and plays. She also wrote romances under the name Mary Westmacott, but she is best remembered for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections , and her successful West End plays.According to...
. Christie's official biography suggests that the play was written by Christie with changes then made by Charles and Toy, presumably enough for them to claim the credit. Whatever the truth of the authorship, Christie was enthusiastic about the play and attended its rehearsals and first night
It was first performed at the New Theatre, Northampton
Northampton
Northampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
on October 17, 1949 prior to moving to the Playhouse Theatre
Playhouse Theatre
The Playhouse Theatre is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster, located in Northumberland Avenue, near Trafalgar Square. The Theatre was built by F. H. Fowler and Hill with a seating capacity of 1,200. It was rebuilt in 1907 and still retains its original substage machinery...
in the West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
where it opened on December 16, 1949. The play was the first time that the character of Miss Marple
Miss Marple
Jane Marple, usually referred to as Miss Marple, is a fictional character appearing in twelve of Agatha Christie's crime novels and in twenty short stories. Miss Marple is an elderly spinster who lives in the village of St. Mary Mead and acts as an amateur detective. She is one of the most famous...
had been depicted outside the original books and she was portrayed by Barbara Mullen
Barbara Mullen
Barbara Mullen was an American actress well known in the UK for playing the part of Janet the housekeeper in Dr Finlay's Casebook...
. The director was Reginald Tate
Reginald Tate
Reginald Tate was an English actor, veteran of many roles on stage, in film and on television. He is best remembered as the first actor to play the television science-fiction character Professor Bernard Quatermass, in the 1953 BBC Television serial The Quatermass Experiment.-Early life:Reginald...
who also played the part of Lawrence Redding. The play enjoyed a run of 126 performances, closing on April 1, 1950.
In its issue of December 15, 1949, The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
gave an unenthusiastic review which began, "Everyone has a motive for killing. Nobody, unhappily, has any good stage reason for living. It is not until the final scene - the pressure of events then forcing two of the characters into melodramatic life - that we become aware that there was, after all, an effective one-act play in Miss Christie's novel". The unnamed reviewer complained of the "walking ciphers of the vicarage" and "the rather thin theatrical excitement of first one, then another confession, both of which possibly cancel each other". Despite these comments, the actors and the direction were both praised.
Ivor Brown
Ivor Brown
Ivor John Carnegie Brown was a British journalist and man of letters.-Biography:Born in Penang, Malaya, Brown was the younger of two sons of Dr. William Carnegie Brown, a specialist in tropical diseases, and his wife Jean Carnegie. At an early age he was sent to Britain, where he attended Suffolk...
, reviewing the play in the December 18, 1949 issue of The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
said, "Barbara Mullen is excellent as that sharp-eyed Prodnose Miss Marple, along with that of Reginald Tate as the questionable painter and of Jack Lambert as the nice, dull, dutiful vicar, gives West End quality to a production otherwise on a less exalted level. The whole thing could have been made more effective by better casting of certain parts, however, the company, which started with a nervous over-emphasis and clouted us over their heads with their lines, steadied by half-time and the second act was very much more persuasive than the first."
After closing in the West End it was picked up later that year by Peter Saunders
Peter Saunders
Pete or Peter Saunders may refer to:* Peter Gordon Saunders, Australian social researcher* Peter Robert Saunders, Australian social researcher* Peter Saunders , English theatre impresario* Pete Saunders , musician...
for a national tour as he was desperate to recoup his losses from a failed staging of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's
Arthur Conan Doyle
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle DL was a Scottish physician and writer, most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, generally considered a milestone in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger...
1913 book, The Poison Belt
The Poison Belt
The Poison Belt was the second story, a novella, that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote about Professor Challenger. Written in 1913, roughly a year before the outbreak of World War I, much of it takes place—rather oddly, given that it follows The Lost World, a story set in the jungle—in a room in...
. He hit upon the idea that the name of the actors who starred in the production wouldn't really matter as Christie herself was enough of a public name to attract the audience. He therefore deliberately advertised the play as Agatha Christie's "Murder at the Vicarage" rather than "Murder at the Vicarage" by Agatha Christie. This small piece of showmanship worked. He recouped his losses and, more importantly, brought himself to the attention of Christie who, annoyed with the slow progress of the usual producer of her plays, Bertie Meyer, offered her latest play, The Hollow
The Hollow (play)
The Hollow is a 1951 play by crime writer Agatha Christie. It is based on the 1946 book of the same name.-Background:In her Autobiography, Christie claimed that the success of And Then There Were None set her on the path of being a playwright as well as a writer of books and that only she would...
to Saunders instead. This started an association between Saunders and Christie which was to last for many years and culminate in The Mousetrap
The Mousetrap
The Mousetrap is a murder mystery play by Agatha Christie. The Mousetrap opened in the West End of London in 1952, and has been running continuously since then. It has the longest initial run of any play in history, with over 24,500 performances so far. It is the longest running show of the modern...
, the play with the longest continuing original run in theatre history.
Cast of 1949 London Production:
Barbara Mullen as Miss Marple
Jack Lambert as The Vicar (the Rev. Leonard Clement)
Genine Graham as Griselda (his wife)
Michael Newell as Dennis (his nephew)
Betty Sinclair as Mary (the maid)
Michael Darbyshire as Ronald Hawes (the curate)
Andrea Lee as Lettice Protheroe
Mildred Cottell as Mrs Price Ridley
Alvys Maben as Anne Protheroe
Reginald Tate as Lawrence Redding (an artist)
Francis Roberts as Dr John Haydock
Stanley Van Beers as Inspector Slack
The play was first published by Samuel French
Samuel French
Samuel French was a U.S. entrepreneur who, together with British actor, playwright and theatrical manager Thomas Hailes Lacy, pioneered in the field of theatrical publishing and the licensing of plays....
in January 1951 (copyright dated 1950).
Synopsis of scenes
The action of the play passes in the study of a vicarage in the country, at the present time.- ACT I
- SCENE 1 - A Tuesday in Summer. Afternoon.
- SCENE 2 - The following day. 6.45pm.
- SCENE 3 - Thursday morning.
- ACT II
- SCENE 1 - The following Sunday. Late afternoon.
- SCENE 2 - An hour and a half later.