The Witness for the Prosecution

"It’s unquestionably the best short story she wrote. It’s better known as a play, written after the book in the 1950s and performed in the West End just after The Mousetrap . I think Witness for the Prosecution is one of the truly great theatrical murder mysteries. It has an ingenious twist, it’s daring and adventurous. If you ever see the play, put yourself in the position of the writer and ask yourself how anyone could bring it off. My grandmother found the business of constructing mysteries for the stage fascinating. It was the one time she almost lost her shyness because she was completely absorbed in what she was doing. I remember how involved she was with rehearsals. She stuck to her guns and kept the plot the way she had written it. She wouldn’t listen to anyone who told her it was impossible. On the first night at the Winter Garden Theatre, there was a huge ovation from the audience. She was sitting in a box overlooking the stage. It was the only time anyone saw her take a bow. We did a tour of it in the United Kingdom last year. And we’ve just put on another play, Verdict . Particularly in the provinces, her plays are hugely popular because they are about entertainment and puzzles. Whatever your age, they are great fun. Witness for the Prosecution was also a successful film, directed by Billy Wilder. Unbelievably so. I think it all stemmed from the unhappy time in her life when she lost her first husband and mother in quick succession. It was the time of her notorious disappearance. She also felt rather hounded by the press. She hated being recognised in restaurants, much preferring the company of family and close friends. The idea of doing a book-signing tour would have been a complete anathema to her. It’s a question I’m often asked. She wanted to write things that people enjoyed. Perhaps she provided people with a means of escape from things in their own lives. I think she sometimes had hospital patients in mind – she used to be a nurse – and people on long journeys, which she often took herself. She didn’t talk as much as most people. She spent a lot of time listening and observing, which comes out in the books. Although they may appear ordinary when you first meet them, her characters are very shrewdly drawn; they feel real. The other thing that makes her books hugely attractive is that they are much shorter than many written today. Your concentration doesn’t have to be endless. I’m constantly gratified that the magic still works. The final thing I want to say is that, however much you try to analyse the success of Agatha Christie’s books, there is something in them that no one fully understands. That, I think, is what genius is all about."