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The Hollow
by Coronado Playhouse January 31 - March 30, 2003
Directed by Keith Anderson  Amidst tangled passions and secret jealousies, a splendid mystery unfolds based on the book
The Hollow by Agatha Christie. Agatha Christie is the most popular mystery writer of all time. With over 2 billion copies in print, her genius for detective fiction is unparalleled. The show is delightfully amusing and is fabulously cast and directed.
It all begins with several guests who are invited to a weekend party at The Hollow, home of Sir Henry and Lucy Angkatell outside London. The set is charmingly decorated to depict an English country manor. At the Hollow nothing is what it seems, and not everything is as it first appears. Then, when one of the guests is killed, everyone is a suspect. That is only the beginning of this cozy, Agatha Christie murder mystery at the Coronado playhouse, “The Theatre on the Bay,” with its unique cabaret-style seating. The Lady Angkatell (Ashley Gardner) is fabulous at exuding English charm. Her flighty ideas and mannerisms conjured up by her incredibly active mind are most amusing. Flitting about, concerning herself with the guest list and the weekend activities. Her faithful butler Gudgeon (William Savage) and Doris (Christina Chritianson), a young maid, add to the hilarious milieu of the manor. The guests include John Cristow (Jeffrey Lippold) the dashingly handsome doctor from London, accompanied by Gerda (Jody. E. Hooper), his rather boring and plain wife. Both are marvelous at their roles. Henrietta (Angelique Collas), a sculptor, has an eclectic collection of art and is an interesting part of some of the guests’ inter-relationships. Then the dazzling, sudden uninvited appearance of voluptuous Veronica Craye (Chrissy Burns), clad in a seductive outfit, creates quite a stir. Veronica is in from Hollywood after shooting a few films and returning to England to touch base with her old flame, the doctor John Cristow! Her sensual approach and attempt to seduce him is wonderfully performed. The detectives are quite humorous as they go about their investigation at The Hollow. An added twist is the fact that Ainswick, the family estate, will be lost if an heir does not take it over, and Lady Angkatell wants to avoid that at all costs. The setting, cast, and production staff do a marvelous job of keeping the show as intriguing as the book. -- Sylvia Bendelstein
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