Black Coffee (play)

Infobox Play
name = Black Coffee


image_size =
writer = Agatha Christie
date of premiere = December 8, 1930
country of Origin = United Kingdom
original language = English

Black Coffee is a 1930 play by crime writer Agatha Christie. It is the first play she wrote to be staged and launched a successful second career as a playwright.

Writing and production

She began writing the play in 1929 feeling disappointed with the portrayal of Hercule Poirot in the 1928 play "Alibi" and equally dissatisfied with the adaptations of her short story "The Coming of Mr. Quin" and her novel "The Secret Adversary" into the films "The Passing of Mr Quinn" and "Die Abenteurer GmbH". [Morgan, Janet. "Agatha Christie, A Biography". (Page 177) Collins, 1984 ISBN 0-00-216330-6]

Christie referred to the play in her 1977 "" as "a conventional spy thriller...full of cliches, it was, I think, not at all bad". [Christie, Agatha. "An Autobiography". (Pages 433 -434). Collins, 1977. ISBN 0-00-216012-9] Her literary agents advised her to forget the play entirely and she was willing to do so until a friend connected with the theatre suggested that it might be produced. Christie's "Autobiography" stated that the original production was at the Everyman Theatre in Hampstead however no record exists of such a production and she was undoubtedly confusing it with the true opening at the Embassy Theatre in Swiss Cottage (now the Central School of Speech and Drama) on December 8 1930. [Agatha Christie - Official Centenary Celebration (Page 78). 1990. Belgrave Publishing Ltd. ISBN 0-00-637675-4.] . The production ran in that theatre only until December 20. On April 9, 1931 it re-opened at the St Martin's Theatre (later to be the second home of "The Mousetrap"), where it ran until May 1 before transferring to the Wimbledon Theatre on May 4 and then the Little Theatre on May 11 before finally closing on June 13, 1931.

Poirot was played by Francis L. Sullivan who became a good friend of the author. She approved of his portrayal despite the fact that physically he was far too tall for the character, being some six feet, two inches tall in height. ["Book and Magazine Collector". Issue 174. September 1998]

Unlike most other Christie plays, "Black Coffee" did not transfer to the New York stage. [Haining, Peter. "Agatha Christie - Murder in Four Acts" (Page 26). 1990. Virgin Books. ISBN 1-85227-273-2.]

ynopsis of scenes

The scene is laid in the library at Abbot's Cleve, Sir Claud Amory's house, about twenty-five miles from London.

ACT I
*8.30pm ACT II
*The following morningACT III
*Fifteen minutes later

Plot

Hercule Poirot and his friend Arthur Hastings are called upon to visit the famous physicist Sir Claud Amory, but find that he has been murdered before they arrived. Hercule must once again figure out which of the houseguests has performed the deed.

Reception

"The Times" reviewed the play in its issue of December 9, 1930 when it said, "Mrs Christie steers her play with much dexterity; yet there are times when it is perilously near the doldrums. Always it is saved by Hercule Poirot, the great French (sic) detective, who theorizes with the gusto of a man for whom the visible world hardly exists. He carries us with him, for he does not take himself too seriously, and he salts his shrewdness with wit. For a ruthless investigator he is an arrant sentimentalist; but that is one of the ways in which Mrs Christie prevents her problem from becoming tedious. Mr Sullivan is obviously very happy in the part, and his contribution to the evening's entertainment is a considerable one. Mr Boxer Watsonizes pleasantly, and Miss Joyce Bland, as a young lady who must wait until the very end before knowing a moment's happiness, contrives to excite our sympathy for her distress. The remainder of the cast is rather serviceable than exciting. ["The Times" December 9, 1930 (Page 12)] "

"The Observer"'s issue of December 14, 1930 contained a review by "HH" in which he concluded, "Miss Agatha Christie is a competent craftsman, and her play, which is methodically planned and well carried out and played, agreeably entertains." ["The Observer" December 14, 1930 (Page 18)]

"The Guardian" reviewed the play in its issue of April 10, 1931. The reviewer stated, "Miss Christie knows the ropes, keeps to the track, sets her Herculean protector in defence of innocence, and unmasks the real villain at eleven o’clock. One must be something of a ritualist to find enchantment in such matters. Mr. Francis Sullivan makes a large, guttural, amiable sleuth of the sagacious Hercules (sic). He is wise not to imitate Mr. Charles Laughton who gave us such a brilliant study of the Belgian some time ago. He makes his own portrait and does it with a competent hand." The reviewer praised others in the cast by name and concluded, "the company conduct themselves with a proper sense of the ceremonial involved in a detective play. But it is surely permissible to be surprised that adult people can be found in fairly large numbers to sit undismayed through the execution of such ritual as this." ["The Guardian" April 10, 1931 (Page 11)]

Two days later, Ivor Brown reviewed this second production in "The Observer" when he said, "If you are one of those playgoers who are eternally excited by a corpse in the library and cross-examination of the family, all is well. If not, not. To me the progress of detection seemed rather heavy going, but I start with some antipathy to murdered scientists and their coveted formulae. Black coffee is supposed to be a strong stimulant and powerful enemy of sleep. I found the title optimistic. " ["The Observer" April 12, 1931 (Page 15)]

"The Times" reviewed the play again when it opened at the Little Theatre in its issue of May 13, 1931 when it said, "Its false scents are made for the triumph of the omniscient Belgian detective, complete according to the best tradition with unintelligent foil; and if they appear sometimes to be manufactured with a little too much determination and to be revived when they seem most likely to be dissipated, they may be allowed because they just succeed in maintaining our sympathy with distressed beauty and our interest in the solution of a problem. Though much of the dialogue is stilted, the complacent detective has an engaging manner. ["The Times" May 13, 1931 (Page 13)] "

Credits of London production

Director: Andre Van Gyseghem

Cast of December 1930 production: [Official Centenary Celebration (Page 78)]
"Francis L Sullivan" as Hercule Poirot
"Donald Wolfit" as Dr. Carelli
"Josephine Middleton" as Miss Caroline Amory
"Joyce Bland" as Lucia Amory
"Lawrence Hardman" as Richard Amory
"Judith Menteath" as Barbara Amory
"Andre Van Gyseghem" as Edward Amory
"Wallace Evennett" as Sir Claud Amory
"John Boxer" as Captain Arthur Hastings
"Richard Fisher" as Inspector Japp

Cast of 1931 production:
"Francis L Sullivan" as Hercule Poirot
"Josephine Middleton" as Miss Caroline Amory
"Dino Galvani" as Dr. Carelli
"Jane Milligan" as Lucia Amory
"Randolph McLeod" as Richard Amory
"Renee Gadd" as Barbara Amory
"Walter Fitzgerald" as Edward Amory
"E. Vivian Reynolds" as Sir Claud Amory
"Roland Culver" as Captain Arthur Hastings
"Neville Brook" as Inspector Japp

Publication and further adaptations

The play was first published by Alfred Ashley and Son in November 1934. It was republished with minor revisions by Samuel French Ltd on July 1, 1952 following a successful revival in repertory.

Like "The Unexpected Guest" (1999) and "Spider's Web", the script of the play was turned into a novel by Charles Osborne. It was published in the UK by HarperCollins in 1998.

The play was turned into a film entitled "Black Coffee" in 1931. Running to 78 minutes, it was released on August 19, 1931 by Twickenham Film Studios and produced by Julius S. Hagan. Austin Trevor again played the role of Poirot after his performance in the role a few months earlier in "Alibi", made by the same studio.

In 1932, the play was filmed again by Les Établissements Jacques Haïk in France. Released as "Le Coffret de laque" on July 15, 1932, it was the first foreign language version of a Christie work. It was released internationally as "The Lackered Box".

References

External links

*imdb title|id=0021669|title=Black Coffee (1931)
*imdb title|id=0185995|title=Le Coffret de Laque (1932)