West Allis Central students perform Agatha Christie whodunit 'And Then There Were None'

West Allis - A favorite Agatha Christie whodunit mystery, "And Then There Were None," will open at West Allis Central High School, 8516 W. Lincoln Ave., Friday.

Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, March 8 and 9 and 15 and 16.

The play focuses on island guests who are murdered one by one.

The hardest part about the production will be holding the audience interest after their prime suspects meet their demise, said director Peggy Link. Usually, only one or two characters die, but in this case, almost everybody meets their demise, she said.

But by careful stage blocking, Link makes sure at least one character is nearby at every murder so that the murder-solvers in the audience find the mystery enigmatic to the end.

The story is based on the nursery rhyme that starts: "Ten little soldier boys going out to dine - one choked his self and then there were nine." Each guest is murdered in a manner paralleling the deaths the rhyme describes.

To add the proper creepiness to the murderous events, a thunderstorm is one of the show's special effects.

Besides the engaging mystery, Link predicted that audiences will enjoy seeing the students actually become their characters. They take on the personalities of their characters in such a way that classmates will be surprised.

"The kids really get into it," she said.

Appearing in "And Then There Were None" will be Annelise Pollard, Alexis Lopez, David Dawursk, Mitchell Mares, Austin Jasniewski and Haley-Marie Asher.

AT A GLANCE

WHAT: Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None"

WHERE: West Allis Central High School, 8516 W. Lincoln Ave.

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, March 8 and 9 and 15 and 16

COST: $8 general, $6 for students and seniors