By Mack Olmsted, Features Editor
Coming later this semester, Manhattan University Players will set the stage for the theatrical production of Agatha Christie’s mystery novel, And Then There Were None. The play was pitched to the Players executive board by their historian, Kevin Cullen.
Cullen described this production as starring 10 characters at a party, who realize the host isn’t anywhere to be seen. A mysterious voice reveals that each person has killed someone in the past, and has gotten away with it. To find out how the story unravels, Players encourages the Manhattan University community to watch the performance later this semester.
“I think And Then There Were None provides a really good challenge for Players in multiple ways,” Cullen said. “It’s got strong characters for the actors to experiment with. It’s got a couple of things that will be challenging for tech with how to make the set work and certain theater aspects involved. And it also has the extra challenge of being a murder mystery. So it challenges us to sort of frame that mystery in a way that we can keep the surprise hidden from the audience until the time comes to reveal it.”
“It was kind of a no brainer to pick this one,” Olivia Bailey, current Producer of MU Players, said. “We just wanted something that would be a little bit more dynamic for this year, and something that people would want to come see. And people love true crime and murder mysteries and stuff like that, so we thought about this, and how it is one of the most famous novels as well. I’ve had people coming up to me saying how excited they are to see it.”
Costume assistant for And Then There Were None Grace Coutu, was a part of last year’s executive board that picked the show and was intrigued to help put it on this fall. She didn’t want to give too much away, but said the costumes will have a specific look to convey the setting of the story.
“I thought the story was probably one of the best choices that we could go with out of all the pitches that there were,” Coutu said. “Not only is [Cullen] very excited, he’s very passionate about this show. So I knew that if he had anything to do with the pitch, it would be really good.”
After a year of budget setbacks, Bailey is thankful to be able to put on this production with the help of student engagement.
“We’re so fortunate enough this year to be able to do something that we want to do,” Bailey said. “Things are getting better here for Players when compared to last year, so I don’t think the budget cuts from last year have carried over to us as much. Student engagement has been doing a really, really good job in prioritizing our needs as a theater group, because it does take a lot.”
Junior finance and global business major, Cara Loganadham, is a fan of Manhattan University Players’ productions and is looking forward to the upcoming performance later this semester.
“I’m excited to see this play,” Loganadham said. “I was excited once I heard it was announced. I read this book in high school, and I really liked it. And I like murder mysteries with twists. I also think Players always put on a really good production. So I’m definitely really excited to see it.”
To find out more information and updates about Manhattan University Players’ And Then There Were None, follow @playersmu on Instagram.