Spotlight on 'Witness for the Prosecution' with star Harry Chandler

As part of a series celebrating some of the West End's longest-running shows, we speak to the actor who plays Leonard Vole in Agatha Christie's courtroom drama Witness for the Prosecution.

Agatha Christie is well-known in the West End for two long-running shows: The Mousetrap — which celebrated 30,000 performances earlier this year at St. Martin's Theatre — and Witness for the Prosecution, based in the atmospheric and historic London County Hall. The play first opened in London in 1953 at the Winter Garden Theatre (now the Gillian Lynne), but it is the 2017 version directed by Lucy Bailey that continues to immerse audiences in the tale of Leonard Vole, who is arrested and then tried for murder.

That part is played by Harry Chandler, who made his West End debut as Enjolras in Les Misérables at the Sondheim Theatre in 2023. He has also starred in Come Dine with Me: The Musical, Outlaws: The Ballad of Billy the Kid, Mozart: Her Story, and Evita. He catches up with LondonTheatre.co.uk to discuss what makes Witness for the Prosecution so gripping for audiences.

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Why do you think this show has lasted for so long in the West End?

I think the show has lasted because of the genius that is Agatha Christie. In my opinion, she is unmatched in her skill to craft a really juicy and suspenseful mystery whilst constantly misdirecting the reader or, in our case, the audience. She also created gloriously theatrical characters who draw us in with suspicion and intrigue, and Witness is packed with them, from the seemingly earnest Leonard on trial for murder to the alluring yet unpredictable Romaine. But this has also been expertly harnessed by another genius, our director Lucy Bailey who, with William Dudley, Mic Pool and Chris Davey, has developed Christie's story into an immersive and irresistible courtroom thriller for the audience to lose themselves in.

What is the best audience reaction you have seen to the show?

Without giving too much away, I think by far the best reaction we've had are the passionate shouts of "guilty" and "not guilty" from the audience. But you'll have to come and see which ones are on the money and which ones aren't!

What is your favourite moment in the show?

There are so many moments in the show that I love and they all revolve around other members of the cast because I feel incredibly lucky to be working with them — from the first scene I have with Mr Mayhew and Sir Wilfred in Wilfred's chambers, to the first section of the courtroom in Act I. But it has to be Leonard's testimony when he's being cross examined by Myers, played by the mesmerising David Birrell. He's one of the best actors I've had the pleasure of working with and to be able to bounce off of whatever he gives me is something I'll never forget.

What is a little-known secret about performing in this show?

One of the best little-known facts about the show is that the music we use for our scene changes is actually taken from an existing composition called "Company" by the world renowned composer Philip Glass, who also composed The Truman Show. As a lover of movie music, this is just another reason why I count myself so lucky to be a part of Witness.

What do you hope audiences take away from the show?

I hope that the audience comes away from the show with a renewed appreciation for classic writing, especially that of Agatha Christie. Witness is a prime example of how the 'old stuff' is just as significant today as it was when it was first put to paper. Christie is arguably one of, if not the best, British authors of all time and has sculpted the genre of the modern murder mystery to be what it is today. She deserves all the praise and adoration we can give her.

Book Witness for the Prosecution tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk

Photo credit: Harry Chandler in Witness for the Prosecution. (Photo by Pamela Raith)