Being prolific is no guarantor of fame.

But Agatha Christie enjoyed the ability to produce nonstop and wild success.  The British mystery writer -- creator of beloved detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple -- penned 78 novels and 19 plays.

With her works translated into 45 languages, Christie might be the best-selling novelist of all time.

Her plays, such as "Witness For the Prosecution" and, especially, "The Mousetrap," have been just as popular, if not more so.

"The Mousetrap," running nonstop in London since its debut in 1952, was adapted from Christie's own 1947 radio play and subsequent short story "Three Blind Mice."

Her 1958 play, "The Unexpected Guest," in contrast, was an original work written for the stage.

Original is a good word for it.  With taut dialogue and enough plot twists to mimic a pretzel, Christie sucks us into the tale of a sadistic, wheelchair-bound man, whose wife is found pointing a gun at his dead body.

Naturally, there are many suspects.

A production of any good work by Christie is always welcome, and Oyster Mill Playhouse's version of "Guest" is well done, overall.

Under the direction of Alice Kirkland, there are some fine performances and arresting moments.  However, some of the action is curiously slow, considering the plot twists.

Things never bog down, though, when Anthony M. Leukus, playing the "guest" of the title, is onstage.  With his take-charge attitude and emphatic looks, he makes the man wandering in out of the fog and winning the confidence of a household totally convincing.

Megan Seely, in her area debut, might not be quite the femme fatale Christie envisioned Laura Warwick to be.  But she is attractive and gives the role of the widow/suspected killer a sympathetic dimension.

With his deliberate speech and frequent "hmms," Douglass E. Howard is memorable as Inspector Thomas -- another dogged detective who's less clever than he thinks.

Vincent W. Dangolovich III plays the supposedly "retarded" Jan, the dead man's brother, more as demented.  His outbursts are fun and scary to watch.

Clasping his hands, mouth twitching, Jon Rooney plays Angell with the creepiness of a sullen butler in a horror flick.  But this male nurse has much to say, and he says it well.

Mike Guenther is properly nervous as Julian Farrar, a man whose political ambitions are at war with his romantic feelings.

Jules Ellison as Mrs. Warwick, the mother who doesn't seem to regret her son's demise, and Joyce O'Donnell as Bennie, the nurse who questions her loyalty to the dead man, are less intense than one would expect.  But that adds to the suspense.

Melissa Markovic is funny as the inspector's foil, Sgt. Cadwallader.

The set, designed by Bill Jahn and executed by Candy McDaniel, is beautiful and professional.

It was clever to have an animal theme dominate the set, as the late, unlamented victim of the mystery was a big-game hunter.

Lighting, effectively used to enhance the whodunit atmosphere, is by Phil Replogle.