You don’t want to miss Agatha Christie’s “And Then There Were None,” now playing at The South Shore Theatre Experience in Lindenhurst. This excellent ensemble breathes fresh life into this moody, chilling thriller with a surprise ending. Director Emily Vaeth, assisted by Rosie Collette, has another hit on her hands. South Shore Theatre Experience, 115 South Wellwood Avenue, Lindenhurst, NY 11757. For information and reservations telephone (631) 669-0506 Remaining performances are February 5,6,7 at 8 pm.

The play is set in 1939 on an isolated mansion on Soldier Island in Southern England.

The cozy drawing room setting contains some unsettling artifacts that presage the action.

Ten small wooden soldier figurines are lined up neatly on the fireplace mantlepiece below a print of a tell-tale nursery rhyme. On the walls we see prints with angels presumably transporting people to heaven. Set Designer Thaddeus C. Plezia has made a small stage seem ample, and set the mood for this show with clever details. The audience, thus primed, sat on the edge of their seats as the story unwound. We all know what will happen: it is written in the rhyme. Each character will struggle against their fate.

Two servants, Thomas Rogers (played with supernatural composure by Michael J. Shanahan) and Ethel Rogers, his complaining and agitated spouse (played by Jes Almeida) welcome the eight party guests. A mysterious announcement reveals that each of them have been responsible for a murder. Each character, in turn, will reveal their dark past. With so many characters, it is imperative to make them each stand out. The director keeps the action going with a combination of fights, gory bodies, romantic clinches and convincing special effects.

The characters naturally turn to Justice Wargrave (played with gravitas, authority and convincing mood swings by Tim Smith) to help them find the murderer on the island. Philip Lombard (played by John McGowan) struts like a rooster and swaggers about the place, engaging in skirmishes with other cast members to assert his claim to Vera Claythorne (played by Alexa Roosevelt), and raise the tension in the room. All eyes are on this magnetic pair. At one point, Vera delivers a convincing slap that startles the audience. The many physical exchanges are well choreographed and placed perfectly for maximum effect.

Although the play can be dark, it has some very light moments. Kevin Russo is memorable as the quaking, stammering physician Dr. Edward Armstrong. General Mackenzie (Patrick Reilly) enters this strange house and delivers the absurd line “That is my chair,” for an unexpected laugh, cutting the tension for a moment.

Emily Brent (played by Pat Becker) is an unassuming old lady in a dowdy dress and warm shawl. But her prudish, intolerant and sneering attitude toward the suffering of others makes her character quite unsympathetic. Her particular crime ties together the theme of the play. They are all judged and found wanting. Ultimately, justice is meted out, and it has tragic consequences. The ending will make you squirm in your seat.