Witness For The Prosecution – County Hall, London

A review of Witness For The Prosecution, a courtroom drama by Agatha Christie. Such an atmospheric setting, worth it for the glimpse into County Hall alone!

Theatre At London’s County Hall

*Disclaimer*: Witness For The Prosecution is one of those plays where they urge audiences not to reveal the storyline. They even promote #sworntosecrecy on screens in the foyer. So this review isn’t going to dwell on the ins and outs of the plot and performances – it’s more about the experience of coming to see this particular production. Let’s take a look at that now.

I have been wanting to see this play for a while. Granted, I had plenty of chances pre-pandemic, as it’s been on at County Hall, directed by Lucy Bailey, since 2017. But there’s nothing like lockdowns and reopenings to focus the mind. My interest was equal parts interest in the play since an Agatha Christie story is almost always good fun, and wanting to see the setting. Witness For The Prosecution is on at London’s County Hall – home to London County Council/Greater London Council from the 1920s until Parliament abolished the Council in 1986 (due partly to a Margaret Thatcher vs. Ken Livingstone spat).

But anyway, County Hall, on London’s South Bank, is a fine, purpose-built building. We saw it briefly on one of our London walks. It has housed various businesses since the GLC vacated, including the Saatchi Gallery and various tourist-focused things. Today you can visit the likes of Shrek’s World of Adventure and London Sea Life Aquarium. But since it was purpose-built, it came with things like architect’s studios, scientific laboratories and, importantly, a debating chamber.

It’s in the latter that audiences watch Witness For The Prosecution. And what a glorious space it is. The pomp is just enough to set the scene as The Old Bailey, and audience members sit in tall, comfortable leather seats with great sight lines. Or if you want a cheaper seat and a bird’s eye view, you can sit up in the old press gallery. It’s not quite site-specific, but it’s wonderfully atmospheric. Such a creative endeavour to have made use of the Chamber in this way. And worth coming to see the play for the setting alone.

Witness For The Prosecution

So without giving away too much, what can I tell you about the play itself? Well, first of all it premiered in 1953. It is an adaptation by Agatha Christie of her own 1925 short story originally entitled Traitor Hands. She needed some convincing to turn it into a play, but it proved very successful and was also filmed in 1957. It’s primarily a courtroom drama, about the trial of Leonard Vole for the murder of a woman he had befriended.

Witness For The Prosecution is staged very creatively. For a price, you can even sit in the jury box and participate directly in proceedings. Most of the play is in a courtroom setting, but there are adeptly-handled scene changes to shift the scene to a barrister’s offices or elsewhere. I liked the small touches here; for example the cast members handling scene changes dress in the sort of brown cotton overcoats formerly common for working men and women (see similar here). A subtle detail but adds to the 1950s atmosphere.

And it’s the atmosphere which is very enjoyable here. The legal system has changed a bit (no death penalty for instance). Society has changed a bit too. But the themes Christie draws out, of the legal system as a stage for issues of race/xenophobia and class, probably remains. Watching the story unfold as a moody, post-war tale gives us the remove that we need to see what the constants are.

Few of these long-running shows fall into the category of confronting, cutting-edge drama. But as long-running shows go, Witness For The Prosecution is engaging, entertaining, and really quite fun. Whether you want a good night out, or want to spy into County Hall’s debating chamber, this is a good option either way. And as a tip, we sat in F155 and 156; I would recommend similar seats. We could see what the jury were up to, and had a good view of the action compared to some of the seats closer to the stage.

Salterton Arts Review’s rating: 3.5/5

Witness For The Prosecution currently booking to March 2022