Because of the adaptations that Christie herself did of her short stories and novels, turning several into either radio plays or stage plays (and vice-versa), as well as the adaptations that have been done by others (we have not listed all of these), it is difficult to get a handle on the exact number of Christie's works that have been staged. We are aware of at least these:
- Akhnaton
- Alibi
- And Then There Were None
- Appointment with Death
- Black Coffee
- Butter in a Lordly Dish
- Cards on the Table
- Chimneys
- A Daughter's a Daughter
- Fiddlers Three
- The Hollow
- Love from a Stranger
- Murder at the Vicarage
- Murder on the Nile
- Peril at End House
- Personal Call
- Rule of Three
- Spider's Web
- Three Blind Mice
- Towards Zero
- The Unexpected Guest
- Verdict
- Wasp's Nest
- Witness for the Prosecution
- The Yellow Iris
Written in 1937, but not published until 1973, Akhnaton is out of print and rarely performed (perhaps because it has over 20 speaking parts & requires eleven scene changes!):
The play Alibi (1928) was adapted by Michael Morton from Christie's novel The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. It was turned into a film in 1931 and into a radio play in 1944.
Christie's play And Then There Were None (1943) is an adaptation of her 1939 book Ten Little Indians.
Appointment with Death (1945) is Christie's adaptation of her 1938 book of the same name.
Black Coffee is Christie's first play from her own hands, written in 1930. The play later was adapted into a novel (1998) by Charles Osborne. It was made into a film in 1931 and again in 1932.
Butter in a Lordly Dish is a radio play (1948) written by Christie that, so far as we can tell, has only been performed three times (twice in 1948 and again in 2003).
Cards on the Table is a 1936 novel by Christie that was adapted, after her death, into both a stage play (1981) and a television production (2006).
Initially a play written by Christie in the late 1930s, A Daughter's a Daughter was adapted by Christie into a novel under her pseudonym Mary Westmacott. Though the novel was published, we are not aware that the play itself has ever been published.
Written in 1931, but first performed in 2003, Chimneys is Christie's adaptation of her 1925 novel The Secret of Chimneys.
Fiddlers Three is a 1972 remake of a 1971 Christie play called Fiddlers Five. To the best of our knowledge, this play has never been published.
The Hollow is a play (1951) that Christie adapted from her 1946 book of the same name.
Love from a Stranger (1936) is an adaptation by Frank Vosper of Christie's short story Philomel Cottage. This play has twice been turned into a film (1937, 1947); twice turned into a live television performance (1938, 1947); and twice turned into a radio play (1945, 2002).
Murder at the Vicarage (1949) is an adaptation by Moie Charles and Barbara Toy of Christie's 1930 novel of the same name.
Murder on the Nile (1946) is a play that Christie adapted from her 1937 novel Death on the Nile.
Personal Call is a radio play that Christie wrote in 1954. To the best of our knowledge, this play has never been published.
Peril at End House (1940) is an adaptation by Arnold Ridley of Christie's 1932 novel of the same name. It was broadcast as a radio play in 1948.
Rule of Three (1963) is a set of three one-act plays by Christie: The Rats, Afternoon at the Seaside and The Patient.
Spider's Web (1954) was a play Christie wrote at the request of British actress Margaret Lockwood. The play later was adapted into a novel (2000) by Charles Osborne. The play also was turned into a film (1960) and a television production (1982).
Three Blind Mice (1947) was a Christie radio play that was turned into a short story (1948) that was retitled and turned into a full play known as The Mousetrap. As noted in a previous post, The Mousetrap is the longest continually-running play in theater history:
Towards Zero is a 1944 novel that Christie adapted into a play in 1956. It also has been turned into a film (1995) and a television production (2007).
The Unexpected Guest (1958) is an original Christie play. It was adapted into a novel (1999) by Charles Osborne.
Verdict (1958) is an original play by Christie.
Wasp's Nest is a television play (1937) that Christie adapted from her 1928 short story of the same name. It was the only play that Christie herself ever adapted for television, a medium that she disliked.
Witness for the Prosecution was adapted from Christie's short story of the same name. It later was turned into a film starring Charles Laughton and also was adapted for television.
The Yellow Iris was a radio play (1937) that Christie adapted from her 1937 short story of the same name. This short story was later expanded by Christie into the novel Sparkling Cyanide. While both short story and novel were published, we are not aware that the script of the play has ever been published.
Although acting editions exist in the marketplace for most of the above plays, several have never been published (as noted above) and most compilations of her plays rarely include more than a handful of the better known plays. An interesting collecting challenge!
Tomorrow, we tackle a new subject, provenance....
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