Chris Baylis

Review of Palace Theatre,Westcliffe

Black Coffee: 17th March 2014.

Black Coffee: 17th March 2014.
I have seen a fair number of plays adapted from Agatha Christies stories and generally have enjoyed them all. Black Coffee last night though was the best of the bunch. From the total professionalism, yet obvious enjoyment, of the actors, to the wonderfully atmosphere of the art deco one-room scene for the entire play, everything was perfect. The lighting, the stage, the ambiance, the clarity of speech, the wonderful 1920's costumes, even the sometimes amusing accents, all were of the highest quality. The superb Robert Powell gave us his own interpretation of Hercule Poirot, which I viewed as a combine based on the Peter Ustinov and Albert Finney versions, while Eric Carte and Robin McCallum took their portrayals of Japp and Hastings straight from the long running TV series, ensuring that we had a night which gave us the best of the many adaptions of Christie's penmanship. It was really nice to see the lovely Liza Goddard again, and to hear Gary Mavers struggle with and effectively defeat the Italian accent brought an unexpected additional lightness to what was actually a murderous plot of true evil villainy.
The Palace Theatre is a friendly establishment that deserves to be well supported by the local community. Thankfully last night's performance was virtually sold out, not bad for a Monday night. There are many plays and shows at the Palace throughout the year, as well as at the Dixon (used mainly by local amateur dramatic societies), so there is always something for everyone at one time or another. It is always a pleasant night out and my wife and I are happy to visit as often as we can.