Pitlochry Festival Theatre is delighted to reveal that it has been selected by the estate of Agatha Christie to stage the European premiere of Agatha Christie’s ‘lost’ play, Chimneys.

Originally due to open at London’s Embassy Theatre in December 1931 - possibly with Donald Wolfit and a young Laurence Olivier in the cast - for some mysterious reason the play was never performed. It then disappeared - it was not even listed in the Christie catalogue - for almost 70 years, until a dusty manuscript was sent anonymously to a theatre company in Canada in the mid-1990s. Authenticated by the Christie estate as the genuine article, Chimneys then received its first performance in Calgary in 2003. Unlike the Queen of Crime’s famous fictional mysteries, the reasons behind the enigmatic disappearance and reappearance of Chimneys may never be solved!

This decision is a real coup for PFT and means that the theatre’s audiences will be the first in Europe to see this ingenious tale of murder, intrigue and blackmail brought vividly to life. It is anticipated that PFT audiences will be joined by Agatha Christie fans from all over the world for this very special event. Look out for further announcements about this during Christie Week, an annual, week-long celebration of the author’s life, which takes place this year between 12th -17th September 2005.