Ten strangers are invited as weekend guests to a private island off the Devon coast. Their generous hosts, eccentric millionaires Mr and Mrs U.N. Owen, are nowhere to be found. All that the guests have in common is a dark past they're unwilling to reveal.

As members of the party start to die one by one, the survivors begin to turn on each other. Who is the mastermind of this murderous scheme? Will anyone leave the island alive? Only the dead are above suspicion.

And Then There Were None is often thought of as Agatha Christie's darkest thriller, and this new production from Wells Little Theatre promises to be full of suspense, intrigue and tension, with some shocking moments along the way.

It's a stage directorial debut for longstanding member of Wells Little Theatre, Adam Lanfranchi, who says that he and the cast have brought a "darker vision" to the show.

Adam Lanfranchi

"Agatha Christie wrote the book in the 30s, but the play in the 40s," said Adam. "The book is very dark, but the play was made deliberately lighter because it was felt that that's what people wanted after the war.

"But I have gone back to the book, and taken out some of the more 'camp' elements from the play.

"For me, one of the things that I like most about the book is that none of the characters are particularly likeable – they are all morally grey – and you don't know who to root for.

"In the play some of them were changed to make them less bad, but I've taken out some of those lines so it's much closer to the book, and we've removed some of the stereotypes. For example, in the book, one of the main female characters is very strong and independent, but then in the play she is portrayed much more as a 'damsel in distress', so we've reverted back to make it much more like the book.

"People have said that there are moments which make them feel very on edge or awkward, and, without giving anything away, some of the characters' deaths are quite shocking.

"But it's not horrific, and there are funny moments, but overall we play it seriously, and we are taking it seriously."

It's the first time in the 120-year history of the theatre society that they have staged an Agatha Christie, and Adam says that the cast are doing a wonderful job bringing the famous author's characters to life.

"We have a really fantastic cast, and they have tremendous chemistry," he says. "Every single one of them brings a really strong performance."

The story is set in 1939, and to make it feel as authentic as possible an Art Deco-style set has been designed by Adam's wife, Emma Lanfranchi. "She's done a brilliant job," said Adam. "The stage looks great. It's a difficult play to direct, because you have 10 people on quite a small stage, so it's important to make it as visually interesting as possible."

A work in progress: The Art Deco set designed by Adam's wife Emma

There have been many adaptations of the book and play – notable the three-part BBC adaptation which was shown over Christmas in 2015 – but, said Adam, even if you think you know the plot you might be surprised.

"There are actually different endings," he said. "I really like the idea that people who know the play can still be surprised. I chose the ending that I felt was true to all the characters, and true to the story, and I have worked some little clues in, so if people watch really closely they might be able to work out who did it!"

And Then There Were None is at Wells Little Theatre from September 13-17. Tickets are on sale now. Book your tickets HERE