Friday, March 13, was opening night for Okeechobee Community Theatre’s production of...
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OKEECHOBEE — Friday, March 13, was opening night for Okeechobee Community Theatre’s production of Agatha Christie’s “Witness for the Prosecution,” the fifth and final show of their 46th season.
Director James Garner opened the evening saying, “I’ve always wanted to do a courtroom drama,” and gave a bit of back story on the play. “Witness for the Prosecution” was first published as a short story in 1925 and Agatha Christie later adapted and expanded it into a stage play in 1953. Originally set in 1920s London, Garner explained that they decided to set it in 1950s Savannah, Georgia so that it wouldn’t require the cast to perfect English accents in the relatively short amount of time they have to rehearse the production.
The play centers around Leonard Vole, played by Evan Maples, a seemingly ordinary young man suspected of the murder of Emily French, an older woman he has recently become acquainted with. As the story unfolds, you’re introduced to a variety of characters with their own unique personalities and agendas, and up until the very end you’ll be asking yourself, “Who really killed Emily French?”
Was it her housekeeper, Janet McKenzie, played by Robyn Garner? Was it Leonard’s wife Romaine Vole, played by Katherine Hardy? Or is it someone else entirely that you didn’t see coming?
The cast does a fantastic job of keeping you on your toes with mystery and twists and turns. Surprisingly, though courtroom dramas tend to be very serious, this one is filled with a lot of laughs along the way.
Excellent performances were delivered by all but the stand out performances of the evening were Mike White as Leonard’s defense attorney Wilfrid Roberts, and Katherine Hardy as Leonard’s wife Romaine Vole. Neither missed a beat and truly disappeared into their characters.
If you’re a fan of Okeechobee Community Theatre or “Who done-its”, or even if you aren’t, you won’t want to miss this one.
“Witness for the Prosecution” will be showing again on March 20 & 21, and March 27 & 28. Friday shows are at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday shows are at 2 p.m.
