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The Hollow
A Comedy-Thriller in Three
Acts by Agatha Christie
Produced by David Beeching |
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Cast |
| Henrietta Angkatell |
Dee Beeching |
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Sir Henry Angkatell, KCB |
Stanley Bull |
| Lady Angkatell |
Patricia Wilkins |
| Midge Harvey |
Marjorie Vandervord |
| Gudgeon |
Sam Warden |
| Edward Angkatell |
John Line |
| Doris |
Heather Bridgwater |
| Gerda Cristow |
Lydia Perry |
| John Cristow, MD, FRCP |
David Beeching |
| Veronica Craye |
Lila Garrard |
| Inspector Colquhoun, CID |
Edward Garrard |
| Detective Sergeant Penny |
Ted Ashford |
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| The action takes place over a weekend in early
September, in the garden room of Sir Henry Angkatell's house, The Hollow,
about eighteen miles from London. Time - the
present. |
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Programme Notes
The Fairlight Players for this production have
turned to one of the most successful authors of today. Agatha
Christie, a master hand at detective thrillers, has combined in "The
Hollow" all the qualities that have made her a household
name.
Comedy, drama, suspense, and mystery are all
skilfully blended, and to do justice to this outstanding play, a
strong cast has been rehearsing.
In the role of Lady Angkatell, Patricia Wilkins
gives one of her sparkling performances ably supported by Stanley
Bull as her husband. Dee Beeching and John Line as two further
members of the Angkatell family offer sensitive and emotional
portrayals. Marjorie Vandervord as the poor relation brings her
accustomed sincerity and charm, whilst Sam Warden and Heather
Bridgwater are the servants in the house who are more than just
"domestics". Lydia Perry as Gerda Cristow, wife of the ill-fated
John Cristow, provides some outstanding moments in the play and Lila
Garrard as the woman from the past with a "past" brings verbal
fireworks that set the play a-cracking.
All thriller plays must have a policeman and
Edward Garrard with his Detective Sergeant, Ted Ashford in support
unravels the mystery with calm and thorough
certainty.
This play we are sure will be a highlight in the
Fairlight productions, and should provide an excellent evening's
entertainment.
(Notes copied from rear of
programme) |
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I am always intrigued to know who writes these programme notes,
which always seem to convey an unwavering confidence in the
abilities of the cast. I am sure that such confidence was entirely
merited, and I hope that the audience found their expectations to be
fully satisfied. I must say that it works on me - I find myself
wishing that I could see them in action. However, at just six
years old at the time, I suspect that much of the plot would have
gone right over my head. Incidentally, I note that the date of the
Saturday performance of the play was also the day that my younger
brother was born - but that's probably of little interest to
you.
The picture at the top of this page was labelled on the back
"probably The Hollow, 1962". Comparing this to other early
photographs, I think I can not only confidently say that the label
is correct, but I reckon that I can identify the characters. This is
also, without doubt, the earliest colour photograph in our
collection, albeit that (as colour photographs used to tend to do)
much of the colour has deteriorated over the course of almost 50
years. Anyway, here goes with identifying the cast. |
Standing (L-R)
Heather Bridgwater
Edward Garrard
Ted Ashford
Lydia Perry
Dee Beeching
David Beeching
John Lines
Sam Warden |
Seated (L-R)
Marjorie Vandervord
Pat Wilkins
Stanley Bull
Lila Garrard |
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