Hawkes Bay Today
  • Hawke's Bay Today home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Havelock North
  • Central Hawke's Bay
  • Tararua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Gisborne

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Hawkes Bay Today

Exquisitely presented Art Deco production

Hawkes Bay Today
16 Feb, 2017 10:00 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

EXQUISITE: Kirsty Daly (left) (as Anya Hendryk), Sarah Findlay (Lisa Koletzky) and Rick Hayes in a well presented version of Agatha Christie's Verdict.

EXQUISITE: Kirsty Daly (left) (as Anya Hendryk), Sarah Findlay (Lisa Koletzky) and Rick Hayes in a well presented version of Agatha Christie's Verdict.

Verdict by Agatha Christie
Directed by Nanette Wright QSM
Produced by Napier Repertory Players
16 February to 4th March Napier Little Theatre McGrath Street Napier
Reviewed by Amanda Jackson

Verdict is the 2017 Art Deco production from Napier Repertory and it represents, with meticulous perfection, the era.

Everything; the set, the dressing of the set, the costumes, the colour scheme, the hair and every prop, screams authenticity.

None of the flapper, feathers, sequins and bobs, but all the structured, classy, coiffured style and elegance has been sourced and is presented with integrity.

Hats off to Nanette Wright for direction and set design, and to Andy Sinclair for construction and John Pryce for décor. The depth of the stage is used to its maximum and adds a wonderful dimension to be explored by the cast.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Peter Hurley allows for the mood and times of the day ably with his interesting lighting design making best use of the shapes and features in the set.

Unerringly lovely costumes added a polished and understated ease to all the characters and the hair styles were the superb.

In all respects, the cast had the hardest job, which was to lift Agatha Christie's play of gigantic wordiness and protracted inaction and deliver an engaging performance which they managed to do because they were well directed and were very strong actors indeed.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The ideas in the play are worthy and an interesting view point is put forward but it lacks the subtlety and editing, those brilliant hallmarks of Christie's other works.

Despite this, there are some extremely good cameos and some excellent performances.
Mikel O'Connell is absolutely charming and endearing as Lester.

His expressions, body language and total commitment to his characterisation were utterly convincing. Adrienne Hurley chose the comic interpretation of the dangerous Mrs Roper and got some laughs and Will Couper captured the mannerisms and manipulative smarm of Sir William well and showed his versatility as an actor in his second role as Policemen along with his boss, the menacing Detective Ogden played by David Davy.

Sarah Findlay, Kirsty Daly and Liv Whyte respectively embraced very strong roles as the lead women. Their accents were good, they looked fabulous and were each powerful and real.

Rick Hayes was exceptional throughout, relaxed and suave, moving well and easily, though perhaps less emotional than expected towards the end. David Moore was perfectly cast, demonstrating a subtle range of responses.

Final verdict - an exquisitely directed and presented Art Deco production of a less than spectacular script by the much loved crime writer, Agatha Christie.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Hawkes Bay Today

'Amazing achievements': Hawke's Bay Export Awards finalists announced

07 Jul 04:25 AM
Hawkes Bay Today

‘He’s smooth. He’s a practised thief’: Former club CEO had a secret criminal past

07 Jul 04:10 AM
Hawkes Bay Today

One lane reopens after diesel spill on Napier-Taupō road

07 Jul 04:03 AM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

'Amazing achievements': Hawke's Bay Export Awards finalists announced

'Amazing achievements': Hawke's Bay Export Awards finalists announced

07 Jul 04:25 AM

The winners will be celebrated at Toitoi Hawke’s Bay Arts and Events Centre on July 31.

‘He’s smooth. He’s a practised thief’: Former club CEO had a secret criminal past

‘He’s smooth. He’s a practised thief’: Former club CEO had a secret criminal past

07 Jul 04:10 AM
One lane reopens after diesel spill on Napier-Taupō road

One lane reopens after diesel spill on Napier-Taupō road

07 Jul 04:03 AM
'Massive cleanup': Fire damages Napier cocktail bar just months after opening

'Massive cleanup': Fire damages Napier cocktail bar just months after opening

07 Jul 04:03 AM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Hawke's Bay Today e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Hawke's Bay Today
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP