by Twyla Colburn
As you may well know, Agatha Christie is something of a legend in the literary world. Her name is synonymous with mystery. She is the best-selling fiction writer of all time (outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare) and the most translated author in history It’s also no secret that the Alley is just as big a fan of her work as the rest of the world: since our first season in 1947, we’ve staged Christie stories 25 times, making her the most produced author ever to meet our stage.
In time for our production of The Mirror Crack’d, let’s take a moment to appreciate her work in all its glory by asking the questions on all our minds: what makes Christie’s work so compelling, and why is it just perfect for the theatre?
The Mysteries
Christie’s mysteries are unique, in that they invite the audience to assume the role of the detective, and figure out the solution themselves. She always plays fair with her audience, providing them with all of the necessary clues to solve the mystery. Compare this to other famous mystery writers, like Arthur Conan Doyle, who sometimes allow their detective to showcase a logic that is too genius to follow. As a result, the audience is always one step behind, waiting for the solution to be explained.
In The Mirror Crack’d, we get to see the events surrounding the murder over and over, follow along with Miss Marple as she asks the important questions, and see the strange ways people react to situations and questions that clue us into the bigger picture. It may be complex, but we’re given the tools we need to follow along, every step of the way.
The Characters
The characters in Christie’s stories, and The Mirror Crack’d is no exception, are extremely vivid. Everyone is a kind of archetype with a familiar quirk or quality that defines them. In The Mirror Crack’d, Miss Marple is the elderly spinster with a knack for mystery solving, Marina the larger-than-life Hollywood starlet, Inspector Craddock is the behind-the-times policeman constantly being upstaged by his amateur counterpart (Miss Marple). The list goes on and on.
But rather than making Christie’s stories simple or unrealistic, these vivid archetypal characters are what let her stories really shine. Not only does getting these lively people in a room together make for plenty of perfect comedy and excitement on the stage, but every character is perfectly distinct, recognizable, and memorable. They’re like us… just a whole lot more extreme. (And, because of that, a whole lot more fun to watch.)
The Timeless Human Stories
Perhaps the heart of why Christie has captivated the world so completely is that, while her characters may be dramatic and archetypal, they also have incredibly genuine human emotions and motives. Everyone has struggles, insecurities, regrets, fears. People make mistakes and try to correct them, they’re wronged and try to get their revenge, they have someone they love and would do anything to protect. This is all familiar, all real, all so very human. No matter how ridiculous her characters may seem at times, in one way or another, we can always find a way to connect or empathize with them in a serious and truthful way. And once we’ve done this, we’ll never want to forget them.
