Appointment With Death
A psychological thriller in three acts
2 hours 15 minutes
16
Synopsis
An assorted group of travellers find themselves thrown together on an expedition to the rose red city of Petra. At the centre of the group are Mrs. Boynton and her four stepchildren who never leave her side. This apparent devotion however is actually a façade for something far more sinister.
Sarah King, a young English doctor, and her colleague, the eminent psychologist, Dr. Theodore Gerard, find themselves embroiled in a battle to free the children from the sadistic grasp of a tyrannical woman. This chilling play offers a unique take on the classic murder mystery, where Christie explores the realms of the sadistic mind and the devastating effects of long term psychological abuse.
Play information
Location
The action takes place between the lounge of the King Solomon Hotel, Jerusalem to the Travellers’ Camp at Petra.
Running time
2 hours 15 minutes
Character list
- Number of male characters: 9
- Number of female characters: 7
- Mrs Boynton
- Ginevra Boynton
- Lennox Boynton
- Raymond Boynton
- Nadine Boynton
- Hotel Clerk
- An Italian Girl
- Alderman Higgs
- An Arab Boy
- Lady Westholme
- Miss Amabel Pryce
- Dr Theodore Gerard
- Sarah King
- Jefferson Cope
- A Dragoman
- Colonel Carbery
More about this play
Christie adapted the play in 1945, keeping the title but removing the character of Poirot and changing the identity of the killer. The play opened at the King's Theatre on 29th January 1945 and later transferred to the Piccadilly Theatre in London's West End.
In the character of the stepmother, the author has a most toothsome villainess.
