Starting this Friday, May 1, the work of the legendary British detective mystery writer Agatha Christie is coming to the stage of the Evergreen Playhouse as its actors prepare to perform Christie’s short story, “Witness for the Prosecution,” directed by Michelle Koenen.
Originally published in 1925 as a story titled “Traitor’s Hands” in a weekly pulp magazine called Flynn’s, according to the American Film Institute Catalog of Feature Films, Christie republished it in 1933 under the title “Witness for the Prosecution” in a collection of her stories called “The Hound of Death” in the United Kingdom.
That was before it was finally published in the U.S. in 1948 in Christie’s book titled “The Witness for the Prosecution and Other Stories.” Since then, the story has been adapted for stage, film and television.
“How well are we able to determine whether, or when, the people around us are telling the truth?” Koenen said in the play program director’s note. “We are regularly presented with opportunities to lie in seemingly harmless ways. Do we spare someone’s feelings and tell them that yes, we really love the gift they gave us, knowing we’ll never use it, or do we hurt them with the truth? What happens when there are greater circumstances at stake. Please join the very talented group of individuals I have had the pleasure of directing as they present Agatha Christie, in her brilliant fashion, posing this question to us: what is real, and what is a lie? I invite you to sit back and discover the truth for yourself … the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”
Christie’s story revolves around a man named Leonard Vole accused of murdering a wealthy older woman named Emily French. Leonard comes under suspicion as French named him the sole heir to her fortune despite him being a married man.
When Romaine, Leonard’s wife, decides to testify, she does so not in the aid of the defense of her husband, but instead as a witness for the prosecution.
The play’s cast includes:
Joining Koenen on the production crew are Jessi Teehee, Matthew Michael, Janelle Lunzman, Mark Pendleton, Alene Stewart, Asia Conner, Danielle Kays and Dean Teehee.
Shows begin at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays, May 1, May 8 and May 15, and Saturdays, May 2, May 9 and May 16. Sunday performances on May 3, May 10 and May 17 begin at 2 p.m.
Tickets are $17 for adults and $14 for students and seniors. A special “pay what you can” performance will also be held on Thursday, May 7, beginning at 7:30 p.m. The Evergreen Playhouse is located at 226 W. Center St. in Centralia.
To purchase tickets or reserve a seat at the “pay what you can” performance, visit Evergreen Playhouse’s website at https://tinyurl.com/fdrbnyj4.
Sponsors of the Evergreen Playhouse include Rectangle Gallery & Creative Space, Hubbub, Book’n’Brush, Bob Holland Insurance, Thunder Autosound, Access Security Inc., Affordable Lawn Care, D Best Adventures, Designs by Danielle, Dick’s Brewing Company, O’Blarney’s at the Gibson House, Olympia Little Theater and PostNet Centralia.
For more information, visit Evergreen Playhouse’s website at https://evergreenplayhouse.com/.
