A new adaptation of Agatha Christie’s murder mystery classic The Mirror Crack’d has come to the Cambridge Arts Theatre, bringing with it all the intrigue, blustering butlers and confused coppers we expect from the queen of crime. As the curtains lift, we are quickly drawn into a quintessentially British mystery, a world of elaborate manor houses, suspiciously decadent Americans and, of course, a sudden unsolved murder that pulls a whole host of curious characters into a web of secrets to be untangled.

“The backbone of the play is the quietly confident Miss Marple”

The effortlessly stylish set design brings us into the twisting corridors and decadent intrigue of an elaborate game, with curling armchairs, gleaming wooden furniture and even an entire glass corridor shifting and rotating around the stage between scenes with polished ease. In particular, the choreography and direction of the show deserves applause for sophistication, moving the narration through time shifts, police interrogations and memories with meticulous blocking, freeze-frames and lighting changes that could easily have been a cacophonous mess in less-able hands.

Undoubtedly the backbone of the play politely marching us through its winding plot twists is the quietly confident Miss Marple, captured with surety and humour by a brilliant Susie Blake. Indeed there’s no denying the production’s comedic achievements, be they dry witticisms or playful slapstick, that garner consistent chuckles throughout. But it is through Miss Marple’s quieter moments on stage, when the relentless plotting has a moment of respite and the character conversations allowed some humanity beyond their archetypes, that the play becomes truly effective as a work of theatre and not a dramatised Cluedo game.

“The play’s tireless plot developments can become wearisome”

In particular, the exploration of grief that is haunting each character is slowly explored as the murder investigation unravels, bringing out the best in this talented cast. Veronica Roberts as elderly busy-body Dolly Bantry and Chrystine Symone as aspiring actress Lola Brewster both excel in teasing out dramatic nuance and moving performances beyond the script’s limitations.

However, the play’s tireless plot developments and obsessions with detangling minor case details can become wearisome despite the cast’s considerable talents – I for one never want to hear the contents of a particularly lethal Strawberry Daiquiri debated ever again. In this barrage of facts, dates and names, the emotional depths and dramatic variety of actors gets drowned out, especially in the first act. Some plot reveals were genuinely unpredictable, but many of these only expose the socially dated nature of the source material. Without spoilers, attitudes towards class and disability leave a sour taste in the mouth and just don’t land the same with a modern audience.

Accent-heavy performances and familiar caricatures are to be expected from such a loyal genre piece as this, most of which are playful national archetypes. Still this adaption never really contends with the more problematic aspects of the source material and in some ways worsens them, such as having the working class maid character a consistent butt of jokes, with the fact she is “from Croydon” used as a punchline on multiple occasions. The addition of lazy throwaway jokes on lesbian sexuality, side by side with shallow attempts to suddenly divert into much heavier themes such as self-harm and suicide, leave an awkward tonal disjuncture that only worsens as the play goes on.

Overall The Mirror Crack’d hits the familiar beats of the genre in an accomplished way, driven through some over-long passages by an accomplished cast who can easily be forgiven for a smattering of dialogue befuddlements. Technical brilliance in the direction, lighting and sound may be expected of such a professional production, but still deserves accolades for bringing coherence and humour to this surprisingly complex show. Despite these accomplishments, this adaption feels fundamentally unsure of itself; unsure of its tone and moral compass, oscillating between titillating caricature and overly-sincere melodrama, half-heartedly updating the source material to reflect more modern prejudices than those of the original without truly contending with either. The Mirror Crack’d leaves us with much to reflect on, although ultimately we might not be comfortable with what we see.

The Mirror Crack’d is showing at the Cambridge Arts Theatre 31st of January to 4th of February, 7.30pm