Riverside Community Players has launched its 101st season with Agatha Christie’s Towards Zero, directed by Christopher Diehl, and the result is an atmospheric start to the year. The production runs weekends through September 14, 2025, bringing a tightly wound drawing-room mystery to the local stage.

Patricia Scarborough’s set design places the action on a sunlit lanai and backyard, a clever choice that feels both open and confined. The outdoor setting becomes the stage for simmering tensions, while the production makes effective use of offstage dialogue to suggest the comings and goings inside the house. It creates the sense of a bustling estate beyond the audience’s view while keeping the focus tightly fixed on the characters under scrutiny. Behind the scenes, Kayla Tate keeps the pacing crisp as production assistant and stage manager, ensuring the shifts from tea-table pleasantries to high-stakes tension feel seamless.

Mark Anthony Flynn commands attention as Neville Strange, blending just the right dose of rich East Coast smarm into the character without making him instantly unlikable. Veronique Poutre’s Audrey Strange is another standout, portraying the quiet dignity of a woman caught in a swirl of family entanglements. Her performance grounds the production with a weary innocence that resonates. Emma Kuhn makes Kay Strange both likable and frustrating in turn, giving us a character we can sympathize with even as we bristle at her choices.

The show also thrives on moments of levity, with Ralph Griffey as O’Donnell and Charlotte McKenzie as Janet “Collie” Collier providing well-timed humor that cuts through the tension without deflating it. Rory Dyer embodies Lady Tresillian with stately presence, while Philip Kasinski, Alison Harris, J Farris, Marlon Kane, Mark Robertson, Aaron Ramos, and Taiquira Williams round out the cast with sharp supporting turns that keep the mystery taut and engaging.

As Christie mysteries go, Towards Zero is less about the sudden shock of a crime and more about the steady tightening of suspicion. Diehl’s direction leans into that structure, allowing the audience to soak in the characters’ rivalries, affections, and grudges until the pressure boils over. The result is a production that mixes suspense with wit and keeps the audience leaning forward in their seats.

Riverside Community Players’ Towards Zero is a confident, entertaining opener for the 101st season. Performances times have changed for RCP, evening performances begin at 7:30 p.m. and matinees at 2:30 p.m. For tickets, call the Box Office at 951-686-4030, visit the RCP Website, or go directly to the online box office. Riverside Community Players is located at 4026 14th St., Riverside, CA.