Review: The Hollow: A Hercule Poirot Mystery By Agatha Christie at Newcastle Theatre Royal

Invited: Reviewed by Samantha Oliver on October 10, 2026

I first fell in love with Agatha Christie’s writing when I was about 12 years old. In the forty years since then, I have read most of her stories and seen countless television and film adaptations (some more successful than others) but to my shame, perhaps, The Hollow is the first stage adaptation I have seen of any of her work.

As you enter the beautiful auditorium of The Theatre Royal you are greeted by an open stage displaying an enigmatically half lit garden room – the perfect setting for a country house murder! Designed by Joanna Parker, her use of an acid wash of arsenic green – a colour of envy, sickness and poison – on the walls, stained glass windows and the garden beyond, filled me with anticipation and by the time composer Nick Powell’s music opened with a few brooding cello notes, it felt like we were going to be in for an amazing production. Indeed, between Parker – who designed both set and costumes, Powell – who was both composer and sound designer, and Chris Davey – who produced the lighting design, I couldn’t be more impressed.

The story begins with a small gathering of friends and family at the country home of Sir Henry (a suitably upright reliable Michael Praed) and Lady Lucy (Sarah Moyle – in a stand out performance!) Angkatell. Relationships are established, old grievances, rumours and infidelities are uncovered – very Agatha! Most of the performers do a sterling job of their roles. Sarah Moyle, as the aforementioned Lady Lucy, is wonderfully acerbic and batty, incredibly funny indeed with superb comic timing. Victoria Blunt, as sculptress Henrietta Angkatell, is passionate and compassionate. Luke Allen Gale – in the dual roles of caddish doctor John Cristow and randomly Scottish Inspector Colquhoun – is maybe slightly less convincing as the adulterous husband than as the simple inspector, but James Sheldon, as the lovelorn Edward Angkatell, has moments of the deepest sincerity that were both moving and amusing by turns particularly in scenes with the effervescent Midge (Grace Darling) charting the change in their relationship, and Peter Polycarpou was a comforting, confidant and clever Poirot – not an easy task in a role where the character is so well known for his foibles and peculiarities, to bring anything new to the cocktail party would have been more surprising than finding cyanide in your champagne.

However, the programme notes by Simon Button, make much of The Hollow being an example of a story which prioritises the psychology of what drives people, that their thoughts and words are the clues Poirot needs to follow. I found this somewhat lacking. The pacing and a lot of the dialogue seemed closer in tone to drawing room farce than psychological drama so some of the choices made by director Lucy Bailey left me slightly confused- the arrival of “Hollywood star” Veronica Craye (Kemi-Bo Jacobs) was almost so comically exaggerated it felt like Norma Desmond had arrived for her close-up only to find herself in the Home Counties to borrow a box of matches, then leave sweepingly to hover around, staring mysteriously through the window like the ghost of Cathy. It was this lack of balance and, at times, true emotional intensity throughout the whole play that seemed to diminish the impact of the tragic denouement quite beautifully played by understudy Noella Naibaho as the downtrodden Gerda, who was rightfully given recognition during the bows.

I thoroughly enjoyed this production, I really did. The Hollow is a fine whodunnit, with some surprising laugh-out-loud moments, but Witness for the Prosecution it isn’t.

The Hollow: A Hercule Poirot Mystery runs at the Theatre Royal Newcastle upon Tyne until Saturday 14th November 2026. Tickets are available from theatreroyal.co.uk