Theatre fans are guaranteed another good night out with The Agatha Christie Theatre Company’s latest production.

The company, which began in 2006, aims to present Agatha Christie’s plays onstage as she would like them and this production has certainly succeeded in bringing her script to life.

The tale begins with the death of Sir Claud Amory, a wealthy inventor whose recipe for a chemical formula with the potential to make millions has also been stolen.

With the household in uproar, Hercule Poirot arrives to restore order and everyone is cross-examined, including the mysterious Italian Dr Carrelli who arrives uninvited on the evening of the murder.

Black Coffee is Agatha Christie’s first and only Poirot play, which is perhaps a shame as I could happily watch Robert Powell play Poirot onstage again with a different storyline.

Powell, who has just starred in Singin’ in the Rain at the Palace Theatre in London, is definitely the star of the show, bringing fun and energy to the role of the sharp-witted French detective.

He finds the right balance of stubbornness and charm required to play Poirot and despite moments of trickery and downright superiority, he remains likeable in the role.

The play is set in 1929, the year Black Coffee was written, and features an Art Deco set sporting plenty of 1920s fashion, from pinstripes to shift dresses.

All of this helps to get you in the mood for an old-fashioned and traditional murder mystery reminiscent of a whodunnit board game, where every character seems to be hiding something.

Each member of the cast played their part in keeping the audience guessing.

Liza Goddard, who played Sir Claud Amory’s sister Caroline, kept up her role of the slightly ditzy upper-class spinster well and Felicity Houlbrooke was also charming as Mr Amory’s niece.

And if the audience isn’t fooled, Poirot’s sidekick Captain Arthur Hastings, played by Robin McCallum, remains in the dark – a problem which leads to several comedic moments.

The satisfying thing with an Agatha Christie plot is that you know by the time the curtain falls the mystery will be solved and the loose ends will be tied up.

Whether you choose to sit back and let the plot unravel or play the part of the detective by making your own guesses you’re sure to enjoy this convincing production.