A classic crime story set in a country estate will make its stage appearance in Brighton.
Agatha Christie’s The Hollow opens at Theatre Royal Brighton from February 2 to 6, 2027, before launching a nationwide tour through the UK and Ireland.
The production comes from Fiery Angel in collaboration with Agatha Christie Limited and Marlowe Theatre Canterbury, with Lucy Bailey serving as director. Bailey has recently directed four other Christie suspense plays for the stage.
James Prichard from Agatha Christie Limited said the company was pleased to collaborate again with Lucy Bailey and Fiery Angel for this new take on The Hollow, following the continued popularity of the Death on the Nile tour. He noted this intense and unsettling work showcases a distinctive side of his great-grandmother’s storytelling approach, and they anticipate sharing it with audiences across the UK and Ireland.
The Hollow unfolds as a psychological thriller at a country house, where a gathering of elegant guests becomes caught up in a murder.
A gun with smoke still emanating from its barrel is discovered, a body is found, and celebrated detective Hercule Poirot arrives to investigate.
Director Lucy Bailey described The Hollow as among Agatha Christie’s most gripping creations. She explained that while it begins as a classic country house mystery, it explores much deeper territory, portraying a family clinging to a fading world, caught between nostalgia and an uneasy progression toward what lies ahead. Christie gathers carefully drawn characters at an English country home, letting comedy, tragedy, and buried family tensions simmer until a shocking act of violence shatters the veneer of polite society.
She added that central to the story is Henrietta, an unmistakably modern-thinking artist of strong independence, watching the emotional chaos around her. When tragedy strikes, the legendary Hercule Poirot steps in to uncover the truth. Bailey characterised it as a story about people trapped between their real lives and their unrealised aspirations. This underlying conflict gives The Hollow particular resonance for contemporary audiences.
Casting details for the production have not yet been announced.