The old saying “If you’re onto a good thing, stick with it” may well have been followed by Shoreside Theatre as they prepare for another Agatha Christie murder mystery.

Towards Zero is the sixth enthralling mid-winter whodunit by this author to be presented in The PumpHouse Theatre of Takapuna. Five earlier productions written by Christie, one of the best selling authors of all time, have been enthusiastically  received. She is still the undisputed ‘Queen of Crime’ who sold more than four billion copies of her detective novels and short story collections.

In this years mid-winter offering , Lady Tresillian has invited guests, a motley collection of characters as you ever will find, to her home for a house-party but earlier events ensure a dramatic turn. Nothing is as it seems and suspense, uncertainty and red-herrings play out in the house on the edge of the perilous Cornish cliffs.  It’s all part of  a carefully laid plan for murder.  The so-called ‘Cornish Riviera’ is famous for many things – Jamaica Inn, the Beast of Bodmin, pirates and pasties – but perhaps it is best known for murder or Agatha Christie’s inspiration for it at least. It is also Poldark, Doc Martin and The Camomile Lawn  country.

Towards Zero is often thought to be one of Agatha Christie’s finest stories and is brought to life on stage by a stellar Shoreside Theatre cast that relishes in its annual portrayal of her eccentric and memorable characters. It’s the vivid depiction of Christie characters living in the shadow of an impending disaster which substantially contributes to such a high voltage story of rivalry passion and revenge.

Director, Carol Dumbleton as a young girl in the sixties knew Dame Agatha well   when she was a regular guest at her parents’  West Country hotel.  The Cornish setting of ‘Towards Zero” evokes nostalgic memories for Carol, being Cornish herself.  This rarely performed drama is set in the 1930s and Shoreside Theatre has endeavoured for over three years to gain approval from the Agatha Christie Trust to present it on stage in New Zealand.

26th July – 4th August. Book Tickets.