Witness for the Prosecution

A thrilling courtroom drama of murder and passion in three acts

Running time: 2 hours 30 minutes

Cast size: 13

Synopsis

Leonard Vole stands accused of murdering a rich widow. The stakes are high with shocking witness testimony, impassioned outbursts from the dock and a young man’s fight to escape the hangman’s noose. Generally regarded as one of Christie’s most accomplished plays, this suspenseful thriller keeps audiences guessing until the very end.

Play information

The action takes place between the Chambers of Sir Wilfred Robarts, Q.C and the Old Bailey at the Central Criminal Court.

2 hours 30 minutes

Character list

Number of male characters: 9
Number of female characters: 4

Greta
Carter
Mr. Mayhew
Leonard Vole
Sir Wilfred Robarts
Inspector Hearne
Romaine
Mr. Justice Wainwright
Mr. Myers, Q.C.
Dr. Wyatt
Janet Mackenzie
Mr. Clegg
The Other Woman

Performing this play

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More about this play

By 1954 Witness was one of three Christie plays running simultaneously in the West End, a feat which she was the first female playwright to achieve.

The sole exception is Dame Agatha, who managed to write not one, not two, but three of the great stage mysteries: And Then There Were None, Witness for the Prosecution, and The Mousetrap.
Ira Levin, Novelist & Playwright

Additional information

There are also 17 supernumeraries in this play:

Clerk Of The Court
Court Usher
Foreman
Warder
Woman Juror
A Policeman
Plain-clothes Detective
Alderman
Court Stenographer
The Judge’s Clerk
1st Barrister
2nd Barrister
3rd Barrister
4th Barrister
5th Barrister
6th Barrister
Male Juror

Agatha Christie was conscious that the large cast size of the play could be a problem for any company. She was willing to consider various solutions but put forward the following specific idea:

“As there are a large number of non-speaking parts, it may well be that amateurs or supernumeraries can be used where this is permissible, or members of the audience be invited
on to the stage, and I believe that this would be greatly to the benefit of the play rather than lose the spectacle of a lot of people in the court scene.

Although Greta never appears at the same time as ‘The Other Woman’ i.e. the strawberry blonde in the final scene, this part should not be doubled, as the audience will think it is ‘plot’ – which, of course, it isn’t.

Carter – Can double as the Judge
Inspector Hearne – Can double as Policeman at end of last act
Plain Clothes Detective – Can be doubled by Warder
Clerk Of The Court – This part can be combined with Court Usher
Alderman – Can be dispensed with
Court Stenographer – Can be dispensed with
Judge’s Clerk – Can be dispensed with
Six Barristers – Four can be dispensed with
Three Members Of The Jury – These can be dispensed with and the ‘taking of the oath’ and ‘returning the verdict’ can be done by a voice ‘off’
Mr. Myers, Q.C. – Can double plain-clothes Detective
Agatha Christie, 1957”

This solution is considered pre-approved for production by Agatha Christie Ltd.. Other combinations are considered for approval on application.