Did you know that Agatha Christie wrote plays too?
Agatha Christie, who we all regard as the creator of Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, the two most fictional world-famous detectives, was in fact one of the greatest best-selling crime novelists of the 20th century, to say the least.
Born as Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, née Miller on September 15, 1890 in Torquay, Devon, England, she wrote books that sold over a 100 million copies and have been translated into over 100 languages! A master detective novelist, she also wrote romantic fiction under the pen name Mary Westmacott.
Wait, that’s not all, Christie took up writing plays too? Unfortunately, not many people are aware of her success as a master dramatist, as the world went on to celebrate and obsess over her crime fiction.
Christie as a playwright
Christie was well-acquainted to the world of theatre world as a youngster. She used to attend theatrical performances every week with her sister Madge and brother Monty throughout her growing up years. That’s not all. Christie acted in a few plays too! Well, all these probably added up to bring out the playwright in Christie, which resulted in her first play, Black Coffee. Released in 1930, Black Coffee was the first of 20 stage plays that she penned. Christie created record for being the first female playwright to have three plays running simultaneously in London’s West End: The Mousetrap, Witness for the Prosecution and Spider’s Web.
Today, let us explore two of her most noteworthy plays.
The Mousetrap
Published: 1952
You may not know this, but Christie earnestly believed that plays were supposed to be performed and not just read. Looks like she was right, as her most famous murder mystery play ‘The Mousetrap’, earned the Guinness Book of World Records by becoming the longest running play in the history of world theatre. Till date, it has been performed over 24000 times. In fact, since its premier in 1952 at the London West End auditorium, ‘The Mousetrap’ had a non-stop run till it was hampered in 2020, no thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The plot unfolds as like this. the protagonists, Mr. and Mrs. Ralston, have converted their once-regal estate Monkswell Manor, into a guest house and have been awaiting the arrival of their guests, unaware that a murder has taken place nearby. Soon, all the guests start arriving one after the another, followed by Sergeant Trotter who is investigating the local crime and holds the guests and well as the owners as potential suspects. The only clue? - note that read ‘Three blind mice’ indicating two among them are in danger, while one is the murderer seeking revenge for a past crime. Just like the London theatres request their audience to keep the ending a secret, so shall we. Whether the murderer is unmasked in time before another life is lost is for you to discover. Go read or watch the play today!
And Then There Were None
Published: 1939
Originally titled as ‘Ten Little Indians,’ Christie had to soon replace the title for its politically controversial nature. However, what she ended up choosing as the alternative, is often regarded as the most sinister title ever used by the author, that is ‘And Then There Were None.’ For those of you who are intrigued by murder mysteries and like your stories violent and bloody, this one will suit your taste, as it has perhaps the highest body-count ever, at least definitely for a Christie creation. However, all controversies aside, the plot is as aghast as it can get.
Ten individuals (apparently strangers) with deep, dark secrets arrive at a wealthy estate on a remote island, hoping to spend a little time alone. However, to the readers’ shock as well as their own, they are all murdered one after the other. Soon, the ones remaining turn against one another, and try to find the mysterious murderer on their own, until none of them remain. What happens in the climax is for you go and find out.