Lin Blakley (Eastenders, BBC) will be stepping into the shoes of Agatha Christie for the UK tour of Philip Meeks’ critically acclaimed play Murder, Margaret and Me, directed by Damian Cruden (Artistic Director, Shakespeare’s Rose Theatre).
The cast also includes Sarah Parks (Coronation Street, ITV; Richard II, Royal Shakespeare Company) as Margaret Rutherford, and Gilly Tompkins (Gangsta Granny, Garrick Theatre and National Tour; The 3 Emos, Smashing Mirrors Theatre) as the Spinster.
Murder, Margaret and Me is the story of an unlikely friendship between famed actress Margaret Rutherford and world-renowned Queen of Crime Agatha Christie. In the early sixties, these two national treasures were the creative force behind one of British cinema’s most successful franchises. But the Miss Marple movies were almost never made…. Both these much-loved icons were shrouded in mystery; Margaret held a dark family secret, and Agatha mysteriously went missing for ten days, which has continued to baffled conspiracy theorists.
Through exploring their tumultuous relationship, the play seeks to pay homage to these two great women and their hidden histories.
Murder, Margaret and Me is a story of the achievement of women in the long lost world of the silver screen. Having completed extensive research writer Philip Meeks has used original letters from Agatha to Stringer Davies to authenticate his story.
He comments, “It transpires the two great women had forged a relationship beyond their awkward meeting on the set of Marple. I’ve been able to refer to an amazing archive of letters in this version of the play. It makes me feel even more that what I’ve written is as I intended it to be, a play paying homage to the two great women. Meeks adds, Theatre is all about collaboration and I’m very pleased my old collaborator Damian Cruden is recreating his production of Murder Margaret and Me with such a great cast. Damian really helped to shape the play and it’s always a joy to work with him.”
