Witness for the Prosecution

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The Witness for the Prosecution": 31 January 1925 issue of Flynn's Weekly (Volume IV, No 2) under the title Traitor's Hands with an uncredited illustration. Leer a Agatha Christie siempre es agradable. Empezar un libro suyo es toda una aventura para mí. Descubrir personajes pintorescos y característicos, así como una ambientación brutal que sienta las bases de la historia. Y después de varios libros leídos de la autora he llegado a mi primer tropiezo, y es que “Testigo de cargo” no me ha gustado.

The Witness for the Prosecution is one of Agatha Christie's most famous short stories. The story has been adapted for the stage, radio, television and film. The story was originally published in the US in 1925 (Flynn's Weekly as The Traitor's Hands). It was included in The Hound of Death short story collection in the UK in 1933 and in The Witness For the Prosecution and Other Stories (US, 1948). The stage play was published in The Mousetrap and Other Plays (1993). Tyrone Power in his farewell film plays Leonard Vole who befriends a dotty old widow played by Norma Varden. She even rewrites her will leaving him the bulk of a very large estate. When she's murdered, Scotland Yard arrests Power. And she also knew the jury wouldn't believe her if she gave him an alibi and they thought she loved him. But if they thought she hated him and was trying to get him put away for murder? Developed with the support and involvement of the Christie family, Lucy Bailey directs the new production to place audiences in the centre of the action within the courtroom.

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Based in a unique court room setting inside London’s County Hall, Agatha Christie’s Witness For The Prosecution is a landmark production of a gripping story of justice, passion and betrayal. Majestic foyer and bar areas and a spacious auditorium offer excellent ventilation and space for audiences to relax and enjoy this classic thriller. Renowned theatre director Lucy Bailey ( Ghosts, The Graduate) is at the helm of this production of the on-the-edge-of-your-seat thriller , and it has already been seen by almost 300,000 people. This success is due in part to its unique setting: the council chamber at County Hall, which lends a real sense of authenticity to Christie’s famous courtroom drama. Not previously known for her courtroom dramas, The Witness for the Prosecution has become one of Agatha Christie most adapted and best known stories. It was first published in 1925 in the USA under the title 'Traitor's Hands' in Flynn's Weekly. Since its publication as a short story in the UK collection The Hound of Death in 1933, it has been adapted for film, TV and radio.

Agatha Christie also wrote romance novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott, and was occasionally published under the name Agatha Christie Mallowan.A gold-digging man is accused of murdering a wealthy old woman who took a shine to him. He says he’s innocent but the evidence looks damning. Did he or did he not dunit? His defence lawyer sets out to uncover the truth. I do recommend the audiobook narrated by Hugh Fraser and Christopher Lee. It was a pleasure reading the book while listening to the actor’s impersonation. Situated right on London’s South Bank and not far from Waterloo Station, County Hall is really easy to get to. And since Witness for the Prosecution has both matinee and evening performances, and there are lots of great bars and restaurants in the area – as well as numerous sightseeing opportunities, of course – it’s easy to make a day or night of it. In 1933, the story was published for the first time as "The Witness for the Prosecution" in the collection The Hound of Death that appeared only in the United Kingdom. In 1948, it was finally published in the United States under that title in the collection The Witness for the Prosecution and Other Stories. The story has been adapted for stage, film and television. Agatha Christie wrote the stage play version in 1953, and the story was made into a movie starring Marlene Dietrich in 1957. Radio City Playhouse presented a radio drama of the story in 1949. It has been adapted for television multiple times...the latest in 2016. And BBC4 Radio "modernized" the story for a radio drama in the early 2000s. I'm sure there are other adaptations of this story that I have missed, as this tale has been retold many, many times in just about every format possible. I wonder if Christie realized that she was writing a classic when she first penned this story?