By Sarah Mills
LONDON (Reuters) – Agatha Christie’s drama “Witness for the Prosecution” marked its 100th anniversary on Friday still thrilling audiences with the twists and turns of a murder trial.
First published on Jan. 31, 1925 and initially titled “Traitor Hands”, Christie’s short story about a young man on trial for the killing of a wealthy widow went on to be adapted for theatre, film and television.
“It’s an incredibly good story. She has found a plot whereby everybody is led down one particular path. Because it’s Christie you’re looking for the tricks. Then she gives you a twist at the end that you cannot believe,” theatre producer Eleanor Lloyd said.
Lloyd’s stage production of “Witness for the Prosecution” has been running for the last eight years in London. But rather than running in a theatre, it is staged in London County Hall, a former government building that allows audiences to sit as if they are in a courtroom.
“There’s nothing scary about it from an audience point of view. You just experience it in a different setting,” explained Lloyd.
From the moment the audience hand in their tickets, they are transported to the 1950s courtroom.
Adapted by Christie herself, the first ever stage production opened in 1953. A few years on in 1957 it was made into a film directed by Billy Wilder, starring Marlene Dietrich, Charles Laughton and Tyrone Power. The BBC made it into a TV series in 2016.
Speaking of its lasting appeal, Lloyd said it taps into some timeless themes about “humans judging other humans”.
“Christie is very good at thinking about our prejudices and our assumptions as humans and who we warm to and who we don’t warm to. And she plays into all those stereotypes and then surprises us,” She said.
Born in the south of England in 1890, Christie went on to become the world’s best-selling fiction writer with her crime novels selling an estimated 2 billion copies in 44 languages.
Christie died in 1976, but her work is still going strong.
“I don’t think she’s going anywhere. I think she’s more popular than she’s ever been,” Lloyd said.
The current stage production of “Witness for the Prosecution” is currently booking until Sept. 28, 2025.
(Reporting by Sarah Mills; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
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