Review: And Then There Were None (UK Tour) at the Milton Keynes Theatre

And Then There Were None (UK Tour)
Milton Keynes Theatre
Reviewed on Monday 20th July 2015
★★★

Coinciding with the 125th anniversary of the birth of Agatha Christie, And Then There Were None has returned to the stage with a brand new touring production directed by Joe Harmston. Having sold over a hundred million copies, And Then There Were None is often labelled as one of Christie's greatest masterpieces.

Interview: Verity Rushworth

Verity Rushworth is currently starring as Vera Claythorne in the 2015 UK Tour production of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None.

Verity’s theatre credits include: Velma Kelly in Chicago (Leicester Curve), Maria in The Sound of Music (UK Tour), Penny Pingleton in Hairspray (Shaftesbury Theatre), Carnaby Street (UK Tour), Merrily We Roll Along (Clwyd Theatre Cymru), The Seven Year Itch (Salisbury Playhouse) and Annie (West Yorkshire Playhouse).

At the age of twelve Verity was cast as Donna Windsor-Dingle in ITV’s Emmerdale. She played the role between 1998 and 2009 before returning to the role last year, receiving a NTA nomination for Best Serial Drama Performance.

I recently spoke to Verity about her latest stage role, why she’s learning every day and which iconic role she currently has her eye on…

And Then There Were None couldn’t be more different to Emmerdale, Chicago and everything else you’ve been up to recently. Were you looking for a change?

Definitely! When I did Chicago, Velma Kelly was a character I couldn’t say no to. It was amazing for me because I would normally play the sincere, girl-next door, good characters – like Maria in The Sound of Music or Penny in Hairspray. Velma was so different for me, I got to be really sexy and sassy and show my dance training and be really dark. I relished that, and then I was asked to go back into Emmerdale for a particular story. I never thought it would have the impact that it has had and that I would enjoy it as much as I did. It was an amazing opportunity for me to be back on screen and I thoroughly enjoyed the storyline, it was fantastic. Then I made a conscious decision to do a play; I’ve got a lot of TV experience and lots of musical theatre experience but I had only ever done one straight play so this came up and I grabbed the opportunity with both hands. It’s a new challenge!

Casting announced for 2015 UK Tour of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None

It has been confirmed that Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None will tour the UK next year. The production opens on Monday 12th January 2015 at the Theatre Royal Windsor. 

The cast will include Paul Nicholas (Jesus Christ Superstar/Cats) as judge Sir Lawrence Wargrave, Colin Buchanan (Dalziel and Pascoe/Dangerous Corner) as inspector William Henry Blore, Susan Penhaligon (Bouquet of Barbed Wire/A Fine Romance) as Emily Brent, Mark Curry (Blue Peter/The Woman in Black) as Dr. Armstrong, Verity Rushworth (Emmerdale/The Sound of Music) as Vera Claythorne, Frazer Hines (Doctor Who/Emmerdale) as Rogers and Ben Nealon (Soldier Soldier/Doctors) as Philip Lombard.