For 74 years, Agatha Christie’s Towards Zero original play, which was adapted from her 1944 book of the same title, was lost.
This is, until it was discovered in 2015. The original script made its European debut in 2019 and became available for performance in theaters.
Co-directors Vanessa Welch and Ash Robbins say this past weekend was the first time a production based on Christie’s original script made its Texas debut at the Theatre Denton Annex in the Golden Triangle Mall.
The murder mystery thriller probes the psychology of jealousy that leads to an investigation of a brutal murder, making the audience guess who the murderer might be.
“It feels like we’re just part of history, and for people, especially like Vanessa [Welch] or other people that just love Agatha Christie, they really are getting to see something that was not edited by anyone else,” Robbins said. “This is truly what she envisioned from her book.”
Those familiar with Christie’s work know that Gerald Verner’s Towards Zero play adaptation is the most notable stage version.
The original script was written by Christie under commission by producer Lee Shubert in 1944.
The original script was played for one week in September 1945 at the Martha’s Vineyard Playhouse. Shubert then gave Christie the requested changes before he would take it to Broadway.
However, due to Christie’s busy schedule, she didn’t have time to look at the changes, and Shubert put her script away.
Welch and Robbins decided to do the play about a year ago, and, while researching more details of the play, they discovered the original script.
“We read the [original] script — we fell in love with it,” Welch said. “So, two weeks before we had auditions, we just decided we’re doing this.”
Before or during intermission Sunday, attendees got the chance to vote for who the victim and murderer were during an interactive display.
“The cast members love seeing [the votes] at the end of the night,” Robbins said.
Michael Davis plays Neville Strange, a well-known tennis player notable for his charming look and prideful attitude.
His character is involved in a love triangle with current wife Kay Strange and ex-wife Audrey Strange, who are played by Mandy Rausch and Kendall Snyder, respectively.
Davis recently moved from Louisiana to Denton and worked with productions before being cast for his role.
“So this character gets to take them on a journey of guessing, ‘Who is this guy?’ ‘Is he going to be the killer?’ Is he the victim?’” Davis said after Sunday’s performance. “They [the audience] have to pay attention the more as we go along. So, I liked how this character just had those layers about him … and take the audience on a roller coaster.”
The audience wouldn’t even know that Snyder, who plays Audrey Strange, hasn’t been in a theater show for about 12 years.
She took a break from theater to focus on family and life. This was also a Theatre Denton debut for Snyder, who is a theater director at a Prosper ISD middle school.
“[Audrey Strange] is definitely an overthinker,” Snyder said about her character after Sunday’s performance. “She feels a lot of guilt because she feels like a lot of things that she’s done are her fault with the past.”
Both directors said locals who want to see the show will need to buy tickets as soon as possible because tickets will sell out.
“I think that this is something that they’re not going to see anywhere else, or they haven’t seen anywhere else,” Welch said. “I don’t know what the future holds. Maybe people will start doing this play in the future. Who knows? … This hasn’t been done a lot in the past. This is going to be a first, so they actually need to come out and watch history being made in Texas.”
Locals can purchase tickets online through Theatre Denton’s website.