Yu Yuanfan aimee3031@126.com FROM Hercule Poirot to Miss Marple, from “Murder on the Orient Express” to “Death on the Nile,” Agatha Christie’s contributions and impact on mystery novels are so profound that you don’t have to be a fan of the genre to be familiar with her name. Her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections have sold over 2 billion copies, making her the Guinness World Records-recognized best-selling fiction writer of all time, and earning her the reputation of the “queen of crime.” Christie’s most representative work, however, goes to the novel “And Then There Were None.” With over 100 million copies sold worldwide since its publication in 1939, it is the world’s best-selling mystery and one of the best-selling books of all time. Adaptations based on the book can be found on theater stages, television screens, and other stages across the world; and this May, Shenzhen audience members will have the chance to enjoy an acclaimed stage play from London’s West End at the Pingshan Theater, which is the crew’s first stop in China during their first China tour. Set on an isolated small island off the Devon coast, “And Then There Were None” revolves around eight strangers landing on the island upon receiving personal invitations of different reasons, plus a butler and housekeeper couple commissioned by Mr. and Mrs. Owens, the mysterious and absent hosts. Shortly after their supper, a phonograph in the dining room begins to play, with the recording accusing all people present of having committed murder. Within the following few days, they begin to die one after another in manners corresponding to lines in a nursery rhyme, and after each death, one of the 10 figurines in the dining room is removed. The remaining guests become increasingly scared as time passes by, and try desperately to find out the identity of the murderer before it is too late. Directed by Lucy Bailey, who previously directed the acclaimed play “The Witness for the Prosecution” based on Christie’s novel of the same name, the stage play features a whole new interpretation of the story and upgraded stage art design. Whether you have known the story’s plot by heart or your knowledge about it is confined to the paragraphs above, the play will showcase how a story penned over eight decades ago continues to captivate modern audience members. Time: 7:30 p.m., May 9-12 (May 12 also at 2:30 p.m.) Tickets: 180-880 yuan (discounts available) Booking: WeChat account “PingShanTheatre” Venue: Pingshan Theater, Pingshan District (坪山大劇院) Metro: Line 14 to Pingshan Square Station (坪山廣場站), Exit D1 | 