Venue: Studio Theatre, Bentley House, Hertford
Performance dates: Wednesday 3rd - Saturday 6th March 2027

Get-togethers & Auditions

Auditions Friday 13th November 2026 at 7:30pm
at The Studio Theatre, Bentley House, Hertford. and Sunday 22nd November 2026 at 5:00pm
at The Studio Theatre, Bentley House, Hertford.

Playing Length with interval: 1 hour 45 mins

Synopsis

In part one The Wasp's Nest, Poirot comes between a bitter love triangle of lovers to prevent a sinister murder before it takes place.

In part two Yellow Iris, a distressed phone call from a mystery woman brings Hercule Poirot to the hotel Jardin des Cygnes, where a man commemorates the four-year anniversary of his wife's sudden death - a death under very suspicious circumstances that Poirot himself witnessed. Gathered is everyone present on that fateful night and now Poirot must find a killer in the midst, before they strike again.

Settings

The garden of Charles Harborough's house and the Hotel Jardin des Cygnes. 1930s.

Characters:

The Wasp’s Nest – Character Breakdown

Charles Harborough (M)

Playing age: 35–55 (roughly)

Who he is:

Charles is a wealthy, respectable man whose garden is the setting for the play. He is  engaged to Nina Bellamy and is, at least initially, the apparently secure man at the  centre of the romantic triangle.

Relationships:

• Nina Bellamy: his fiancée.  

• Claud Langdon: Nina's former fiancé and Charles's friend/acquaintance. Their  friendship has become strained because of the romantic history between  Claud and Nina.  

• Poirot: an acquaintance whom Charles welcomes into his home.  

The important thing is that Charles and Claud were friends before Nina came  between them. The triangle is therefore not simply romantic competition; there is a  damaged friendship underneath it.  

Motivation:

Charles wants to believe that Nina has chosen him and that her past relationship  with Claud is over. He is also trying to maintain control and dignity in a situation that  is becoming increasingly uncomfortable.

Playing note:

Charles needs to have social confidence. If you play him as obviously jealous or  threatened from the beginning, you give away too much. The more interesting  approach is a man trying very hard to behave normally while something underneath  is bothering him.

Claud Langdon (M)

Playing age: 25–45 (roughly)

Who he is:

Claud is Nina's former fiancé and Charles's former friend. He is the potentially  dangerous outsider who has returned to the situation after Nina has chosen Charles.

The official synopsis describes the play as a “bitter triangle of lovers,” which is really  the heart of Claud's character.  

Relationships:

• Nina: former fiancée; still emotionally attached to her.  

• Charles: friend/rival. Their relationship has deteriorated because Claud  believes Nina should be with him.  

• Poirot: simply an unexpected acquaintance/observer who becomes involved  in the situation.  

Motivation:

Claud wants Nina back—or at least wants to understand why she has chosen  Charles. He is angry and emotionally wounded.

The crucial question for playing him is:

Does Claud want Nina back, or does he want revenge for losing her?

Playing note:

Someone who is genuinely devastated, whose emotional state has made him  capable of contemplating something terrible.

Nina Bellamy (F)

Playing age: 25–45 (roughly)

Who she is:

Nina is the woman at the centre of the triangle. She is currently engaged to Charles  but was previously engaged to Claud.

Relationships:

• Charles: current fiancé.  

• Claud: former fiancé and someone with whom she still has unresolved  emotional history.  

• Poirot: initially a stranger who becomes involved in the situation.  

Motivation:

Nina wants to move forward with Charles but is dealing with the consequences of  her previous relationship with Claud.

Her position is therefore rather more complicated than:

“I love Charles and don't love Claud.”

There are clearly enough unresolved feelings and guilt surrounding Claud to make  the situation dangerous.

Playing note:

Nina needs emotional intelligence. She should understand the effect she is having  on both men.

I'd avoid playing her as simply the ingénue who has accidentally wandered into a  murder mystery. She has made a choice, and that choice has consequences.

Hercule Poirot (M)

Playing age: 55–70 (roughly)

Who he is:

The celebrated Belgian detective, visiting Charles at his house. His arrival appears  initially to be a social visit, but he has come because he believes a murder is about  to occur.

Christie's own synopsis makes the unusual premise explicit: Poirot intervenes before the murder rather than after it.  

Relationships:

• Charles: acquaintance/host.  

• Nina: observes her as part of the romantic situation.  

• Claud: investigates his behaviour and intentions.  

• Essentially, Poirot is the outsider who understands the situation better than  any of them.  

Motivation:

Prevent the anticipated murder.

That's an important distinction from the conventional Poirot story: He isn't trying to discover who killed someone.

He's trying to discover:

Who is going to kill someone — and stop them before it happens.

Playing note:

This is probably the role where underplaying is most valuable. Poirot doesn't need to  be constantly “quirky”. The interesting thing is his ability to sit calmly in a  conversation while everyone else gradually reveals themselves.

Yellow Iris

Hercule Poirot (M)

Playing age: 55–70 (roughly)

Poirot is the celebrated Belgian detective, already well established professionally. He  receives an anonymous, urgent telephone call from a woman claiming to be in  danger and is summoned to the Jardin des Cygnes. He discovers that the dinner  party is a recreation of a gathering four years earlier at which Barton Russell's wife,  Iris, died from cyanide poisoning.  

Relationships

• Knows Anthony Chappell already.  

• Is brought into Barton Russell's circle as an outsider.  

• Investigates Pauline, Lola, Barton, Anthony and Stephen.  

• Has a particular historical connection to the case because he witnessed Iris's  death four years previously.  

Motivation: To discover why he has been summoned and, ultimately, who is  responsible for the apparent repetition of Iris's death.

Playing note: The danger with Poirot is playing “eccentric detective” rather than a  highly intelligent man who happens to have eccentricities. His greatest weapon is  observation.

Pauline Weatherby (F)

Playing age: 20s/30s

Pauline is Iris Russell's younger sister and therefore Barton Russell's sister-in-law.  She is described in the source material as young, and her inheritance is crucial to  the plot.  

Relationships

• Sister of the deceased Iris.  

• Sister-in-law of Barton Russell.  

• Romantic relationship with Anthony Chappell.  

• Has some connection to Stephen Carter through the events surrounding Iris.  • Knows Lola socially.

Motivation: Initially, simply to get through the anniversary gathering safely. She has a  strong sense that something is wrong and secretly summons Poirot.

Playing note: Pauline shouldn't simply be played as a frightened young woman. She  has already recognised that something is wrong and has taken the initiative by  contacting Poirot. There are intelligence and resourcefulness underneath the anxiety.

Lola Valdez (F)

Playing age: 25–45 (roughly)

Lola is an American dancer/performer connected with the restaurant/cabaret world.  (The original story describes her as a South American character, but this will be  changed to North American to avoid offensive/dated stereotypes)

Relationships

• One of the people present at the original dinner four years earlier.  • Socially connected to Barton, Pauline, Anthony and Stephen.  • Is one of the people Poirot must investigate.  

• Has no close family relationship to the others.  

Motivation: Initially she appears to be there simply as part of the social group, but  she has a reason to be nervous about the recreation of the original evening because  she was present when Iris died.

Playing note: Do not assume that the broad caricature in the original material is how  the character must be played.

Barton Russell (M)

Playing age: 40–55 (roughly)

Barton is a wealthy American businessman/millionaire and the widower of Iris. He  has arranged the dinner specifically to recreate the circumstances surrounding his  wife's death four years earlier.  

Relationships

• Widower of Iris Russell.  

• Brother-in-law and financial guardian/administrator for Pauline.  • Host to Anthony, Stephen and Lola.  

• Knows Poirot professionally/reputationally.

• Has a history with everyone present because they were all involved in the  original dinner.  

Motivation: Publicly, Barton claims he wants to discover who murdered Iris. He is  obsessed with the fact that her death was ruled suicide and believes someone at the  table was responsible.

Playing note: This is potentially a very substantial role for an actor. The key is that  Barton must initially appear to be the grieving husband seeking justice. The audience  should subsequently be able to reinterpret his behaviour.

Anthony Chappell (M)

Playing age: 25–35 (roughly)

Anthony is a young man and an acquaintance of Poirot's. He is romantically involved  with Pauline and is part of Barton's dinner party.  

Relationships

• Pauline's romantic partner/boyfriend.  

• Acquaintance/friend of Poirot.  

• Social acquaintance of Barton, Lola and Stephen.  

• Was present at the original dinner four years earlier.  

Motivation: At the beginning, Anthony is primarily concerned with Pauline. He is  unhappy because they have apparently quarrelled, and he is emotionally  preoccupied with her.

Playing note: This is probably the most socially easy-going of the three male  characters. He has charm, humour and romantic material rather than being defined  by his masculinity.

The original material explicitly describes him as an “amiable young man”, which is  useful for establishing the approximate playing age and temperament.  

Stephen/Stephanie Carter (M/F)

Playing age: 30s/40s (roughly)

Stephen/Stephanie is a diplomat/member of the diplomatic service, described in the  source material as a rising politician or diplomatic-service figure and nicknamed  “Silent Stephen/Stephanie” because of their guarded nature.  

Relationships

• Part of Barton's social circle.  

• Was present at the original dinner.  

• Had a significant (potentially same sex) secret relationship with Iris.  • Is therefore connected to Barton through Iris.  

• Knows Pauline and the others socially.  

Motivation: To protect themselves from suspicion and avoid revealing potentially  compromising information.

Playing note: This is the most restrained of the three characters. “Silent  Stephen/Stephanie” is useful shorthand: they don't give Poirot information willingly.  An actor needs to make the silences active rather than simply playing them as quiet.

Waitress (M/F)

Playing age: ANY

A restaurant employee at the Jardin des Cygnes.

Relationships

• No meaningful personal relationship with the principal characters.  • Has professional contact with the dinner party.  

• Her apparent anonymity is important to the mechanics of the mystery.  Motivation: Do her job, serve the guests and remain unobtrusive.

Playing note: This is a small role, but it requires excellent observational acting. The  actor should feel like someone who is accustomed to watching wealthy customers  without becoming part of their world.

Cloakroom Attendant (M/F)

Playing age: ANY

A hotel/restaurant employee who interacts with Lola and the arriving guests. Relationships

• Primarily professional relationship with the guests.  

• Has no significant personal connection to the central mystery.  Motivation: Perform their job efficiently.

Playing note: A good opportunity for a character actor. The role benefits from giving  the Attendant a very clear social status, attitude and observational quality even  though the part is small.

Compère (M/F)

Playing age: ANY

The compère/MC provides the theatrical framework for the cabaret/restaurant  setting.

Relationships

• Essentially none with the mystery characters.  

• Functions as part of the entertainment environment.  

Motivation: Keep the entertainment moving and engage the audience.

Playing note: This is less about psychological realism and more about stage  presence, period style and audience engagement.

If you have any questions and/or would like to receive the audition pieces in advance please contact Harry via Email: harry_harding12@hotmail.co.uk

Audition forms can be obtained from the Production Manager Julie Markey via jjmarkey3@gmail.com or you can complete one at the audition. We will need information about any known absences/holidays. Please note that to take a role in this production once cast you must be a paid member of the Society. There will also be a show fee.

We will require help with the set, costumes and other backstage areas for this show. Please let Julie or Penny Coyston know if you are interested.