Go Back for Murder
by Agatha Christie
"Playing Up’s cast are faultless, aided by sumptuous sets and costumes, as the action builds towards the villain’s inevitable exposure..."
Theatre Bath
About the play
After a wrongly convicted woman dies in prison, it is up to her daughter to recreate the scene of the crime and exonerate her memory.
After receiving a letter from beyond the grave, Carla Crale believes her mother, who died in prison, was wrongly convicted of her father’s murder. In a passionate attempt to clear her name, she persuades those present on the day of her father’s death to return to the scene of the crime and ‘go back’ 15 years to recount their version of events.
An unusual take on the traditional murder mystery, the action of the play slips seamlessly from past to present, examining the danger of relying on personal testimony warped by time, prejudice and perception. By studying each suspect’s testimony, and the various inconsistencies between them, the drama arrives at a disturbing and terrible truth.
The play was adapted by Christie from her novel Five Little Pigs, which saw her not only change the title to Go Back For Murder but also remove the character of Hercule Poirot entirely. In the play, Poirot's function is replaced by a young lawyer, Justin Fogg; son of the lawyer who led Caroline Crale's murder case.