The Mirror Crack’d | The Mill at Sonning
A visit to the Mill at Sonning is always hotly anticipated and very enjoyable, if only because of the excellent meal which precedes the show one is seeing and which is included in the ticket price (there are always a few performances when the meal is not included). The catering at The Mill seems to get better and better, both in the imaginative dishes on offer, which always seem linked to the play or musical one is seeing, as well as in the quality of the food. This time I enjoyed braised feather blade of beef – a large portion, superbly tender and tasty – with dauphinoise potatoes and honey and cumin roasted carrots in a port jus, followed by sticky toffee and espresso pudding with butterscotch sauce and vanilla ice cream, but if the above does not get you salivating, the menu offers an appetising choice where there is surely something for everyone.
A leisurely two hours are allowed for the meal, and then one wanders into the intimate theatre, where Agatha Christie’s 1962 The Mirror Crack’d From Side to Side is presently being shown, in an adaptation by Rachel Wagstaff, who also adapted last year’s Death Comes to Pemberley. The story involves amateur detective Jane Marple solving a murder mystery in St Mary Mead, where she lives. The central plot device providing motivation for the initial murder comes from a real-life event in the life of American actor Gene Tierney. The novel has been adapted several times for both Hollywood, with Angela Lansbury and Elizabeth Taylor, as well as television, with Joan Hickson and Julia McKenzie playing the sleuth, having to work out who has murdered whom from the comfort of the armchair in her cottage as she has had a fall.
The title comes from Tennyson’s poem ‘The Lady of Shalott’ – ‘Out flew the web and floated wide – The mirror crack’d from side to side; “The curse is come upon me” cried The Lady of Shalott’.
In Jonathan O’Boyle’s production, Liza Goddard is Miss Marple, seemingly hampered in her characterisation by her inability to move, and consequently being ‘stuck’ stage centre for much of the play. Ageing movie star Marina Gregg is played by Sara Crowe and Inspector Craddock by James Mack. Jane Marple’s friend, Dolly Bantry, is in the very capable hands of Annie Wensak, and it is a shame that, as is often the case in a murder mystery, most of the other roles are just cyphers rather than real people.
Natalie Tichener‘s costumes look very 1960s, and Michael Holt’s composite set uses the space well. I am not sure if Nick Lodge’s sound design, using music to underscore some of the action, is necessary, but Jamie Platt’s lighting aids concentration, especially when not all the acting area is being used.
Wagstaff’s adaptation seems rather bland and repetitive, and does not have the lightness of touch and humour of Agatha Christie’s novel. Having said that, the audience obviously enjoyed themselves – a relaxing afternoon or evening’s entertainment, just what one needs after an excellent meal!
Review by John Groves
A picture-perfect village. A glittering party. A chilling murder.
When a glamorous film star returns to St. Mary Mead and throws an opulent gathering at Gossington Hall, the evening ends in sudden, shocking death. As gossip ripples through the close-knit community, one guest begins to see the sinister patterns others overlook… the ever-watchful Miss Marple.
In a world of dazzling façades and hidden grudges, nothing is quite as it seems. As Miss Marple peels back layers of lies and long-held secrets, she uncovers a heart-stopping story of obsession, betrayal and revenge.
CAST in alphabetical order
Marina Gregg – Sara Crowe
Miss Jane Marple – Liza Goddard
Cyril Leigh / Assistant Director – Paul Kemble
Ella Zielinsky – Lydia Kirton
Chief Inspector Dermot Craddock – James Mack
Heather Leigh – Jane Quinn
Giuseppe Renzo – Martin Razpopov
Cherry Baker – Elysia Showan
Lola Brewster – Saskia Strallen
Jason Rudd – Jordan Taffe-Watson
Dolly Bantry – Annie Wensak
CREATIVES
Adaptor – Rachel Wagstaff
Director – Jonathan O’Boyle
Casting Director – Jane Deitch
Set Designer – Michael Holt
Lighting Designer – Jamie Platt
Sound Designer – Nick Lodge
Fight Director – Alison de Burgh
Agatha Christie’s THE MIRROR CRACK’D
The Mill at Sonning
4 September to 31 October 2026