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Beverley Brommert
A mellow conversation with an actor currently impersonating Agatha Christie's iconic detective Hercule Poirot fits in perfectly with the gracious ambience of Cape Town's Mount Nelson Hotel. Summer is ripening into autumn, and the genteel elegance of an English high tea here brings a reassuring sense that some traditions never change.
As one season makes way for the next, so Dame Agatha's thrillers succeed one another to attract audiences no matter how many times plays like The Mousetrap or Death on the Nile are reprised. Moreover, it just so happens that this Queen of Crime, an enthusiastic traveller and tourist, once stayed at the Mount Nelson.
At Theatre on the Bay, where Christie's Witness for the Prosecution triumphed last year, BLACK COFFEE is now presented with the ever-versatile Alan Committie as Poirot, complete with luxuriant moustache and little grey cells.
Committie remarks appreciatively on the "rightness" of his undertaking this role, since his first acquaintance with a Christie play was none other than BLACK COFFEE. He was just 11 years old when his mother took him to a performance of this play at the Baxter Theatre, with the great Bill Flynn playing Poirot.
"Peter Toerien was wanting to stage an Agatha Christie work about 8 years ago, and we had discussed my participation in it, but then along came COVID, so..." he gives a Gallic (sorry, Belgian) shrug. After a courtroom drama - Witness for the Prosecution - it seemed the time was ripe for the reappearance of the little detective whose deductive skills rival those of Sherlock Holmes, so enter Monsieur Poirot.
Committie delights in the script of BLACK COFFEE, mentioning its complex plot, articulate text, and above all the author's brilliance in creating recognisable types without making them predictable; originality seasons their characterisation, aided by nuance and suggestive sub-text.
On the subject of character development, the actor says that he is playing "a style" rather than conveying emotional depth: "Poirot is more of an accessory, a prop for the plot, and he's there to promote it; he only enters the fray at a late stage of the action after some considerable exposition."
Despite that, he is far from a cardboard cutout, and Committie has taken the measure of his distinctive personality:
“He is quite arrogant, but warm in his treatment of people, the same towards servants as to the lord of the manor. No class consciousness there, and a definite sense of humour. He remains calm in the midst of havoc, seemingly innocuous but, like Colombo, unexpectedly sharp when you least expect it."
"He is great fun to play," remarks Committie. "Somehow he typifies Belgium - a small country strong in beliefs and confident of its status!"
Though there is also a vein of xenophobia running through the script. The word "foreigner" recurs with dismissive hostility, equally applied to the Belgian Poirot, an Italian suspect, and the ferociously British family at the core of the action.
He considers direction by Alan Swerdlow to be astute in achieving a balance between tension and intrigue on the one hand, and spontaneous humour on the other. "Incongruity is exploited to make the plot palatable, not too dark," he explains.
His Belgian accent has been honed by his friend Robyn Scott, and occasionally he borrows a little from the characterful speech of Inspector Clouseau, the comic detective played by Peter Sellers in The Pink Panther series.
"All the actors who have interpreted Poirot over the years have been different, from Ustinov and Suchet to Flynn, and I aim for yet another variation on this theme."
In other words, Committie is putting his own stamp on the character rather than simply reproducing what his predecessors have done before.
One thing is certain: when he makes his late but significant entrance on stage, everyone knows that Poirot has arrived, with visual clues to underscore his dominant personality - such as a moustache that has taken 14 weeks to grow, and a partially shaved head to reproduce the detective's incipient baldness. In short, he stands out among the array of suspects he is to interrogate.
"It's a real bonus working with such a large cast (10 strong) after so many productions with just two or three actors, as well as the luxury of a good, long run," he grins, adding, "We are a collaborative team, which is very rewarding."
The actor's irrepressible joie de vivre and professional commitment are a winning combination to guarantee the success of this latest Poirot portrayal.
BLACK COFFEE runs at Theatre on the Bay until 26 April 2025.
Want to have your own BLACK COFFEE moment at the Mount Nelson? Their historic Afternoon Tea, which takes place within the Lounge at Mount Nelson, promises an indulgent feast. While you dine on sumptuous cakes, pastries and sandwiches stacked in tiers, live piano music sets the scene. At R595 per adult and R350 per child under 12 (Monday to Sunday, 11am to 3pm with seating slots by the hour), why not treat yourself fully and indulge in such a scrumptious delight that Monsieur Poirot would approve of before heading to Theatre on the Bay to see what he gets up to onstage!
Book your high tea slot here and secure your theatre seat to see BLACK COFFEE by bookings through Webtickets.