Forgotten Agatha Christie play ‘The Lie’ is discovered nearly 100 years after being written in the 1920s is to be performed on stage for the first time
- West End theatre producer Julius Green found the script for the play in a draw
- He was researching his book Agatha Christie: A Life in Theatre when he found it
- It is being debuted at a theatre in Devon on Christie’s birthday on September 15
A long-lost Agatha Christie (pictured) play called The Lie discovered recently by chance is being performed for the first time ever on the anniversary of his birthday
A long-lost Agatha Christie play discovered recently by chance is being performed for the first time ever on the anniversary of his birthday.
The Lie was written by the playwright in the 1920s but was never published or brought alive on stage.
West End theatre producer and founder of the official Agatha Christie Theatre Company Julius Green found the script while he was going through drawers.
He was doing research for his book Agatha Christie: A Life In Theatre at the Christie Archive Trust.
Now it is going to be read publicly for the first time on the Poirot writer’s birthday on September 15 – as part of the International Agatha Christie Festival.
The staged reading will be directed by Mr Green and with the permission of Mathew Prichard, Agatha Christie’s grandson, who is also chairing the festival.
The performance will be at the Palace Theatre in Paignton, Devon, close to Christie’s former home town of Torquay.
Mr Prichard said: ‘I’m delighted that this absolute gem of an early play by my grandmother that was left forgotten in a drawer for many years, can finally be brought to life by Julius Green and his company in Torbay at the festival dedicated to her work and legacy in Devon.
The performance will be at the Palace Theatre in Paignton, Devon (pictured) close to Christie’s former home town of Torquay
‘This demonstrates once again her love and inspiration for the theatre, even at an early age.’
A Torbay Council spokesman said: ‘Written in the wake of the break-up of her first marriage to Archie Christie, it reveals both a remarkable sensitivity to the emotional life of her characters as well as the dramatic ingenuity that became the hallmark of her later world-famous thrillers, such as The Mousetrap and Witness to the Prosecution.’
Kate Farmery, Executive Director of Torbay Culture, said: ‘Agatha Christie’s connection with Torquay is such a significant part of our heritage.
‘It is wonderful to see her work and the inspiration she provides for other artists celebrated so effectively in this weekend of events.’
West End theatre producer and founder of the official Agatha Christie Theatre Company Julius Green found the script while he was going through drawers researching the Poirot author (Albert Finney pictured in Murder on the Orient Express)
Advertisement