IN CENTRAL HIGH'S `TEN LITTLE INDIANS,' WHODUNIT IS NOT REALLY THE POINT

The surprise in Cape Central High School's production of "Ten Little Indians" is not so much whodunit in the end as how well the ensemble of players works together to make the finding out worthwhile.

These are mostly caricature roles that give them little opportunity to grab the audience, but the Red Dagger performers have their timing down.

And so early in their careers.

You won't have to be a parent of one of the cast of 11 to enjoy watching them work.

The play will be presented at 7:30 p.m. today and Saturday in the high school auditorium.

Agatha Christie's "Ten Little Indians" is set in the living room of a house on Indian Island off the coast of England. Ten strangers have been lured to the secluded spot through various ploys by a Mr. and Mrs. Owen. It turns out none has ever met their hosts and each has a skeleton in their own closet.

One by one the guests begin turning up dead, and the survivors spend the rest of the play trying to figure out where the Owenses are and which of their dwindling number is the murderer.

Each of the cast members shines differently. Kelly Russell, a tennis star offstage, brings emotional weight to the crucial role of Vera, the Owenses' beautiful secretary. And Jeremy Welch plays Judge Wargrave with real authority.

Also fine are Andrew Trueblood -- is that Crispin Glover's voice he's using? -- as Dr. Armstrong, Matt Shivelbine as the hard-edged South African cop Blore, and Brian Little as the raving Gen. MacKenzie.

Matt Tanner is properly subservient as the natural suspect -- the butler -- and Tracy Gibbar nicely conveys the uptightness of Emily Brent with hardly a move of her face.

Ryan Redfearn plays Capt. Lombard, the adventurer, with all-English swagger, and Rob Felker is just right as the playboy Marston, making the most of the play's few comic twists.

Sarah Adams as Mrs. Rogers, the cook, and Sabrina Gibbar as Mrs. Narracott, who brings all the guests to the island, acquit themselves well in small roles.

The play is directed by Cynthia Wyatt, with technical direction by Steve Lukens. Chiquita Johnson is the student director.

Heading up huge crews for the production are Nora Bohanon, house; Andy Kaempfer, lighting; Crystal Miller, sound; Amy Adams, props; Jennie Lukens, set; Beth Bowlin, costumes; Alison Nall, makeup; and Autumn McSpadden, publicity.

Particular kudos are due the set crew's wood-beamed living room. Except for the corpses lying around, it looks like a nice place to live.