Rugby Theatre takes on Agatha Christie's The Stranger

Dean Mills as Gerald Strange and Wendy Kay as Enid. Photo by Martin Pulley.

The Stranger by Agatha Christie at Rugby Theatre from 7 - 14 March 2026. Directed by Debbie Hibberd.

Review by Ann Evans.

Rugby Theatre are staging Agatha Christie’s The Stranger all this week and last night they played to another packed house, captivating the audience with a thriller that's very different from Agatha Christie’s other plays.

The Stranger tells the story of how Enid Bradshaw falls for the excitement of marrying a stranger -  which, I suppose in today’s times with TV programmes such as Married at First Sight, is less unusual than it was back in 1924 when Agatha Christie first wrote this as a short story called Philomel Cottage.

The play begins with Enid (Wendy Kay) in conversation with her cleaning lady Mrs Huggins (Jill Dwyer) and Enid’s good friend, Doris (Melanie Lee). Enid is moving out of her flat and awaiting the arrival of a prospective new tenant arriving to view the flat. The three women’s conversation is led mainly by the very chatty cleaner, feather duster wielding, Mrs Huggins, who has nothing good to say about men in general, deciding that they can’t be trusted and you never know what's in their minds.

Melanie Lee as Doris and Jill Dwyer as Mrs Huggins. Photo by Martin Pulley.

It soon becomes apparent that Enid is bored with her life – and not looking forward to the return of her long standing fiancé Dick Lane (Christopher Allen-Mason), so when the new ‘would be’ tenant, Gerald Strange (Dean Mills) arrives, she becomes an easy target, especially after he learns that she is single and has recently come into money. He suddenly turns on the charm and persuades her to dump her fiancé and marry him.

Poor Enid somehow doesn’t spot how Mr Strange’s ears pricked up at the mention of her forthcoming wealth, and looking for excitement she marries him and they move to an idyllic – and isolated cottage in the country.

The cottage has a very authentic 1930s ambience, so well done the ‘behind the scenes’ team for creating this charming country cottage, and the clever way that we learn of their wedding and the passing of the last three months.

Wendy Kay as Enid and Christopher Allen-Mason as Dick Lane. Photo by Martin Pulley.

Enid now has a different cleaning lady, Mrs Birch, again played by Jill Dwyer, while Gerald Strange is starting to show his true colours. But it’s only when Enid discovers his dark secret past that she grasps the dangerous situation she has walked into. As the clock continues to tick, and we see Dick’s dastardly plans, the tensions rise, and Enid has to use all her cunning to save herself.

Good performances by all the cast – especially Wendy Kay as Enid and  Dean Mills as Gerald Strange for their excellent performances, particularly in the build-up of the suspense in the final act; but also Jill Dwyer as Mrs Huggins, who has so many lines to deliver – especially in that first scene, and does so faultlessly.

I believe this was Debbie Hibberd’s debut as a director, so congratulations to Debbie for this production. As a lifelong fan of Agatha Christie, the play was and is in capable hands.

For tickets: https://www.rugbytheatre.co.uk/