THERE ARE JUST another few performances of Alan Swerdlow’s splinteringly fine production of Agatha Christie’s The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, and it’s an experience that slides gracefully into all the cliches that make murder fun. It’s the kind of crisply tinctured work that leaves political correctness withering outside the venue and allows you to laugh uproariously at everything as you second guess every single character in the plot and remain surprised at the denouement. Catch it quickly at the Pieter Toerien Theatre in Montecasino. It ends this weekend on 27 September 2026.

And while all the niceties are in place for a rollicking bit of gossipy titbits in Fernley Hall, in the English village of King’s Abbot, where Roger Ackroyd lives, you will wish for more of Gertrude Ackroyd (Louise Saint Claire) with her over-the-top personality as she empties her whisky into a teacup and pretends, all chains and teeth and bones, with lipstick and fiery hair, nonchalance. You will vocally relish in the repartee of gems and brickbats between Inspector Raglan (Russel Savadier) and Hercule Poirot (Alan Committie) and you will miss the presence of the late Peter Terry in this work with such an acuity that it hurts. Terry was one of the cornerstone performers in Swerdlow’s work and he passed away in April of this year. The fact that the season is performed in his honour, and is one that will make you laugh, is a moving tribute to this wonderful performer.

And, of course, you’re safe in the hands of narrator, Dr James Sheppard (Graham Hopkins), a good friend of the hapless Ackroyd.

Arguably the most delightful thing about Christie’s writing is not the plot spinners and investigative tricks, but the nifty characterisation of those who people her stories. This play boasts a magicking together of the work of Mark Shanahan (who adapted the text for stage) with Swerdlow’s directorial skill and the result is a group of perfectly flawed personalities taking on the monster of mortality in their collective stride. Often Christie will magnanimously belittle a character with a short sharp set of descriptors, and this cast performs with skill and wisdom to the tune.

It’s a beautiful, brilliant piece of work that settles unabashedly in a colonialist context, where the maid, Ursula Bourne (Sarah Wolhuter) and the butler, Parker (Brett Krüger) command their positions and tell their stories, and their secrets, with aplomb. Watch every nuance, digest every prognosis. You will probably still be surprised at the end. It’s an unmissable delight.

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is written by Agatha Christie, adapted for stage by Mark Shanahan and directed by Alan Swerdlow. Performed by Dean Goldblum, Graham Hopkins, Mike Huff, Brett Kruger, Michael Richard, Louise Saint Claire, Russel Savadier, Dianne Simpson, Sharon Spiegel-Wagner, Sarah Wolhuter and Mary-Anne Wright, it features design by Denis Hutchinson (production); Margo Snoyman (costumes); and Adam Howard (sound recording), with set construction by Nadine Minnaar. It is produced by Pieter Toerien and is onstage at the Pieter Toerien Theatre, Montecasino complex in Fourways until 27 September 2026. The production is dedicated to the memory of Peter Terry.