“Agatha Christie's Murder in the Studio" at the Black Box Theatre -- April 26 through May 4.
Friday, April 26, through Saturday, May 4
Black Box Theatre, 1623 Fifth Avenue, Moline IL
A trio of chilling, humorous, and entirely surprising tales by history's master mystery writer will be told at Moline's Black Box Theatre when the venue houses its latest series of live "radio" plays, the April 26 through May 4 production of Murder in the Studio treating audiences to three mesmerizing works by the legendary Agatha Christie.
In the Christie story Personal Call, Kensington resident James Brent finds himself haunted by his dead wife when he receives a mysterious telephone call, seemingly from beyond the grave. First performed on the BBC Radio Light Programme in 1954, the show's producer Ayton Whitaker stated that the piece made "full use of radio techniques and possibilities." With the story first published and aired in 1937, Murder in the Studio's Yellow Iris marked Hercule Poirot's debut appearance on radio. In the mystery, Christie's famous detective is called to the hotel Jardin des Cygnes to solve an old case in which a cold-blooded killer escaped justice and slipped through his fingers. And Butter in a Lordly Dish, which was first performed in 1948, sees eminent prosecution barrister Sir Luke Enderby getting his comeuppance, the chilling work described by Jack Malvern of The Times as "one of Agatha Christie’s most gruesome murder plots."
Directing and designing Murder in the Studio for her venue is the Black Box's co-owner and artistic director Lora Adams, whose other recent directorial offerings for the theatre have included Suddenly, Last Summer, Hello, Dolly!, and 2024's productions of Thrill Me: The Leopold & Loeb Story and Jane Eyre. A number of familiar area talents compose Adams' ensemble, with participants including Michelle Bailey, Tyler Henning, Andrea Moore, Jason Platt, Max Robnett, Scott Tunnicliff, Matt Walsh, and Denise Yoder, with Doug Kutzli performing his on-stage sound designs.
“We have done a lot of radio plays at the Black Box," said Adams, "but this is the first time we are looking into the Agatha Christie archives. I can only imagine the BBC radio audiences’ reactions to the ends of each of the plays. Comeuppance for all the evil deed doers, but how do they get their 'just desserts'?"
Murder in the Studio will be staged in Moline from April 26 through May 4, with performances at 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays through Saturdays, and an added 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday, May 4. Admission is $16, and more information and tickets are available by calling (563)284-2350 and visiting TheBlackBoxTheatre.com.
