Jon Elphick is directing his 10^th Agatha Christie play for Tempo Theatre. Is this fixation on the works of the so-called Queen of Crime by accident or design?

"Definitely by design," he says.

"I like directing Christie plays - they're great fun."

The new production is Towards Zero, the rights to which, he says, only became available in the last 12 months.

He doesn't think it's been seen in Canberra before.

Towards Zero was adapted for the stage by Christie and Gerald Verneer in 1956 from her 1944 novel.

Elphick says there are two versions of the play, one - written by Christie herself a decade or so earlier - with the action set outdoors and one indoors.

Tempo is presenting the latter.

"It's all set in one room, it's easier to stage and you don't have people falling off cliffs."

Towards Zero is set in the home of Lady Tressilian (played by Cheryl Browne) at Gull's Point. She has invited her dead husband's former ward, Neville Strange (Mark Ritchie), to visit as it is summer.

Neville not only brings his wife, Kay (Chintarmanya Vivian), but his ex-wife Audrey (Kirsten Doyle). While this has the potential to be very awkward, Elphick says Neville wants to "play happy families together".

Also present are long-time family friends Thomas Royde (Jason Morton), who has been working overseas for seven years and has been waiting a long time to ask Audrey to marry him, and solicitor Matthew Treves (Garry Robinson).

Then there's Ted Latimer (Las Wijayatilake), a gigolo with an interest in Kay, and the housekeeper, Mary Aldin (Rina Onorato).

It's a situation that could become very tense indeed - but something even worse happens.

"There's a murder in the dead of night," Elphick says.

"Blood will be seen on the stage."

He hastens to add the front row won't be deluged with the stuff: "It's a tasteful murder."

And it won't be the only death in the house.

In come Constable Benson (Adrian Lovelock), Superintendent Battle (Kim Wilson) and, on his first murder case, Battle's nephew Inspector Leach (Sam Kentish).

It's their job to figure out whodunit - and this being a Christie tale, there's no shortage of twists and turns.

"Suspicion falls from the other," Elphick says.

Tempo was founded in 1974 and in the earlier part of its history was known mostly for musicals.

Elphick been involved with Tempo for the last 20 years and says in that time the focus of the company has mostly been on straight plays, especially mysteries.

He says they will do another play this year he can't name yet - "We're still bolting it down."

They will also, as in previous years, perform a Christmas radio play for 1RPH written by Canberran Michael Weston.

"We record it midyear and it's aired on Christmas Day," he says.