David Suchet: Poirot and More is an insightful and captivating conversation with David Suchet, as he recounts anecdotes from his 55 years career, spanning over TV, film and Theatre. The conversation is guided by fellow actor and old friend Geoffrey Wansell, who helps steer the conversation to specific topics. The friendship is clear between them (with them having met in 1988), and allows for a familial and comfortable air between them and the conversation. The two are amiable, and Suchet is charming and brings much enthusiasm to his answers.
The conversation is compelling as audiences can see firsthand just how serious and passionately Suchet approaches his craft, with a couple of short monologues performed. Suchet discusses his journey into acting, right from his first role at just eight years old (he played an oyster in Alice Through the Looking Glass at school), following on to participating in the NYT (National Youth Theatre) and how it changed his career, through to a recent interaction with a young child at his first ever pantomime performance (Captain Hook from Peter Pan) in 2023.
The stories are so personal and Suchet reinforces his status as a master storyteller, with the way he paints with words. Despite watching an online version of the show, the intimacy and connection that Suchet brings to his stories are felt and audiences will leave feeling rather close and connected to him.
As the title suggests, a fair deal of the show is dedicated to discussing his most famous role, Agatha Christie's Belgian detective Hercules Poirot, a wondrously enthralling character that had his own TV series, with 13 seasons running for over 25 years. Audiences will be delighted to learn of the specifics of how Suchet helped create the character, humorous interactions with viewers, hundreds of minor details that never quite made it to the series, and a heartfelt video tribute at the end. Suchet has opened all doors to allow full access to his stories, and characters.
Suchet, admirably, never shies away from acknowledging that along with enormous amounts of talent, hard work and perseverance, luck has played a role in his success. The show diverts from a personal recollection into a truly thorough and detailed highway code in approaching a Shakespearean text. A phenomenal once-in-a-lifetime masterclass from the famous Suchet himself proceeds for nearly twenty minutes. Even for a Shakespeare novice such as myself, its a fascinating and elaborate dive into the art of classical theatre and feels as though the audience are now in the know. In this segment, we're also graced with a performance of Sonnet 116, that reminds us why Suchet is such a powerful performer. However, this deviation may not be as engaging with audience who have come to see Suchet share stories from his personal experiences, or new facts about the beloved roles he has portrayed.
For fans of David Suchet, this is an unmissable experience to not only get to see him live, but to share and absorb his wisdom. A true gift to the British TV industry, David Suchet has a commanding presence and holds his gravitas. David Suchet: Poirot and More can be streamed online now with Original Theatre Online. For more information and tickets, you can follow the link here.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3*)
Gifted tickets in return for an honest review | photography from Original Theatre Online Website
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