I went to the theatre last night to see Black Coffee. Hercule Poirot was played by Robert Powell, in a role that really embodies the character of Poirot. As soon as he appears you know it’s Hercule, and then he speaks, he plays the part so well I was enthralled from start to finish.
A friend went to the matinee and we went to the evening, therefore giving an idea of how much work is involved in acting on stage, having to perform twice a day for two hours each plus rehearsal times.
The actual acting was superb throughout, there were some hairy “theatre” moments at the beginning, but as soon as Robert Powell came out he lead the show with a beautiful rendition of Hercule. Some of the actors through the performance were absolutely incredible, and really light up the stage. Powell himself showed his acting talent to the full, and the ensemble cast seemed to feed off his talent as much as the audience, giving credibility to the roles.
I won’t spoil the plot; suffice to say it seemed to be a good prequel to Mouse Trap, that I also saw last year. Unfortunately it is only on for a week in my area, and I’m unsure of the dates around the country. So if you missed it hopefully it will tour again, since it is so worth the experience.
The carefully woven illusion of happiness 