Overview
Synopsis
And Then There Were None is Agatha Christie’s dramatic adaptation of her best-selling novel. A group of ten people gather at the mansion on Soldier Island, just off the coast of Devon. They are invited under a variety of pretenses: for employment, for a detective case, or just for a good time. Before the party truly gets under way, a recording plays that accuses each guest of murder. Baffled, these strangers realize that they have no idea who their host is, and when the first guest is murdered, they understand that they have been brought to the island by a maniac who intends to dispense his own perverted form of justice.
Ten little Soldier boys went out to dine;
One choked his little self and then there were nine.
Nine little Soldier boys sat up very late;
One overslept himself and then there were eight.
Eight little Soldier boys traveling in Devon;
One said he’d stay there and then there were seven.
Seven little Soldier boys chopping up sticks;
One chopped himself in halves and then there were six.
Six little Soldier boys playing with a hive;
A bumblebee stung one and then there were five.
Five little Soldier boys going in for law;
One got into Chancery and then there were four.
Four little Soldier boys going out to sea;
A red herring swallowed one and then there were three.
Three little Soldier boys walking in the zoo;
A big bear hugged one and then there were two.
Two little Soldier boys playing with a gun;
One shot the other and then there was One.
One little Soldier boy left all alone;
He went out and hanged himself and then there were none.
Who is the killer? Is it Lombard, the mysterious regiment captain who abandoned his men? Could it be Armstrong, a doctor who has an intense interest in nervous disorders? What about Wargrave, a court justice with an eerily calm demeanor? Perhaps Vera, a young secretary with a heartbreaking secret? And who will survive this gathering and make it off the island? As time goes by, and characters fall away to the rhymes in “Ten Little Soldier Boys,” it is clear that the survivors can trust no one. Regularly produced and adapted for stage and screen, And Then There Were None is a mystery thriller that set the bar for the “whodunnit” genre.
Show Information
- Book
- Agatha Christie
- Based on the Play/Book/Film
- Based on the novel And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
- Category
- Play
- Age Guidance
- Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
- Number of Acts
- 3
- First Produced
- 1944
- Genres
- Drama
- Settings
- Period, Unit/Single Set
- Time & Place
- Soldier Island, England, 1940s
- Cast Size
- medium
- Licensor
- Samuel French
- Ideal For
- College/University, Community Theatre, Ensemble Cast, High School, Professional Theatre, Regional Theatre, Mostly Male Cast, Includes Young Adult, Adult, Mature Adult, Elderly Characters, Medium Cast
Context
Plot
Characters
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Lead |
Female |
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Lead |
Male |
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Lead |
Male |
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Supporting |
Male |
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Supporting |
Female |
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Supporting |
Male |
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Supporting |
Male |
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Supporting |
Male |
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Supporting |
Female |
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Supporting |
Male |
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Featured |
Male |
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Songs
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
The moment of the plot in which the obstacle is confronted, and the action is turned to falling action and denouement.
Anything that creates additional problems for the characters. Usually always found throughout the rising action.
Any information about the characters or the story that the audience needs in order to understand the play.
The information provided by the playwright about the character and situation.
Videos
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Quizzes
Themes, Symbols & Motifs
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Quote Analysis
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Guide Written By:
Cindi Calhoun
Theatre teacher, director, writer, and seamstress