A Cardiff theatre group will put on a production of an Agatha Christie novel at The Paget Rooms in Penarth from March 31 to April 2.

The Cardiff Players will showcase The Hollow, a murder mystery set by a swimming pool where every suspect is a 'victim of love'. This is the group's first play in more than two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Paul Smith, 35, member and technical officer at Cardiff Players, told Nub News: "It's been two years since we put on our last performance as Covid did a number on theatres. We're excited to be back, and we've been rehearsing for about three or four months now."

Paul also explains the choice of play. "Agatha Christie is a very popular author, playwright, so we thought we'd start with a bang and The Hollow seemed perfect. There's lots of intrigue in the play and it's a great murder mystery," he said.

The play also sees the group moving to The Paget Rooms after their original space, the Mike Barlow Theatre in Cardiff, was transformed into additional housing for service users of the YMCA in Cardiff.

"We've got a great new group of actors and it's a new venue for us," said Paul. "There's a great history behind it [The Paget Rooms], it's a great theatre, and we're excited about getting stuck in to show the people of Penarth and the Vale what we can do."

The cast and crew of The Hollow have been restoring Edwardian furniture, upcycling items from Facebook Marketplace, ready to use for the show. These items will be sold by silent auction across the three performances.

Cardiff Players are also planning an original production later this year called Eat the Telly, which was written by one of the group's members. "It's kind of like a darker Chuckle Brothers," said Paul. "It is a comedy, but it also has a slightly dark side to it. We're excited to be putting it on the stage."