Writer: Agatha Christie
Adapter: Ken Ludwig
Director: Lucy Bailey
As (probably) Agatha Christie’s most famous work, Murder on the Orient Express conjures up a romantic notion of the aristocracy travelling in luxury in mysterious foreign lands. While this may all be true, it should also be noted that it has a surprisingly dark edge to it, what with the plot being triggered by the murder of a five-year-old child. It also features a brutal execution, and one of Christie’s most intricate and tricky conclusions. This production of Ken Ludwig’s 2017 adaptation of the now 91 year old book, comes after the story has been filmed three times (1974 with Albert Finney as Poirot, 2010 with David Suchet, and 2017 with Kenneth Branagh), and as the plot is so memorable, it would be a challenge to put a new twist on it to keep the audience on the edge of their seat. So does this production break new ground, or is it a re-tread of what has come before? The answer is: a bit of both.
Audiences are fickle. Give them the same thing as before and they complain about repetition. Give them a new take on something, and they pine for the old one. This production is pretty successful at walking the line between old and new, and consequently is good fun even if you go in with the knowledge of “whodunnit”. Thankfully, the overall plot, characters, settings and era are kept intact. We are in Istanbul in the 1930s and are quickly introduced to a disparate collection of travellers as they board the titular train which is about to begin its trans-European journey to Paris. Among these passengers is, of course, famous detective Hercules Poirot (Michael Maloney) whose “little grey cells” are soon challenged when a fellow traveller is discovered dead with multiple stab wounds just as the train becomes trapped in a snowdrift. Nothing new here then. However Ludwig’s adaptation smartly peps up the dialogue with more than a few quips and one-liners, while Lucy Bailey’s direction keeps things interesting with excellent use of the set.
The Orient Express itself may be the star here. Opening on a bare, black stage, we are soon introduced to Mike Britton’s train that is as beautifully appointed as it is amazingly practical, comprised as it is of multiple sections to allow different parts of be seen at different times. This is especially brought to life by the addition of a revolving stage that allows us to peer in through the windows before taking us inside of the compartments, all in one graceful move.
Of course this outstanding set would be useless without a good cast and the support of a reliable technical team, which happily production company Fiery Angel have assembled. Maloney is an excellent Poirot, while perhaps not as fussy as we are used to seeing, his performance still captures the pomposity and arrogance of the little Belgian, who displays great passion in matters of the law and right and wrong. The rest of the large cast are equally well suited to their roles, with particular standouts being Christine Kavanagh as the flirty Mrs Hubbard, Debbie Chazen as the acid-tongued Princess Dragomiroff, and Rebecca Charles as the jumpy Greta Ohlsson.
Mic Pool’s sound design is extremely atmospheric and, thanks to the chugging of the train and the blowing of the blizzard is almost constantly apparent, while impressively never being intrusive. Oliver Fenwick’s lighting design is equally fitting and creates a wonderfully mysterious air, although sometimes it does tip a little too far into darkness, obscuring facial expressions and subtle bits of business. Costumes, wigs and props are all time-appropriate and contribute to this production looking like a faithful and detailed recreation of a bygone era.
So you may know the results of Poirot’s detection, but just like The Orient Express, the magic is not necessarily in the destination, but in the journey itself. And the route that this production travels is extrêmement divertissant!
Runs until 18th January 2025