Writer: Agatha Christie
Adaptation for Stage: Ken Ludwig
Director: Lucy Bailey
Reviewer: Lela Tredwell
A highly enjoyable, surprisingly humorous, retelling of a much-loved murder mystery. Expect classic Christie tropes coupled with an engaging, well-paced piece of theatre. Adapted for stage by Ken Ludwig, and directed by Lucy Bailey, a highlight of this production is the innovative set designed by Mike Britton, which, coupled with some joyful physical theatre from the cast, really fuels the movement of the Orient Express. So pack your unreasonably small vintage suitcase and get ready to embark!
Renowned mystery writer, Dame Agatha Christie, created her infamous “little Belgian detective” towards the end of the First World War. Since then, over 35 actors have played Mr Hercule Poirot on stage, screen and radio. It is therefore an utter delight to watch Michael Maloney flourish as the well-worn sleuth. Maloney has starred in a plethora of murder mysteries so with his investigative skills we can be rest assured we are in safe hands. He creates a satisfying balance, leaning more into the detective’s charming energy than his eccentricities.
Murder on the Orient Express is surely one of Poirot’s toughest cases, set to push him to the very limits of his own moral code. Without his friend, Bouk (played with great comedic value by Bob Barrett), Poirot may have never made the fateful trip, or at least he would have taken a later train and avoided all the fuss. A last minute addition to the first class passenger list, travelling from Istanbul to Paris, Poirot discovers that the journey is already packed with an abundance of suspicious characters who bustle onto the scene to the projected backdrop of a set of massive wheels.
In this production, the train itself takes on a character, imposing at times, labyrinth like at others, but always deeply visually satisfying. Chunks of train carriage whirl around the stage creating a seemingly infinite number of spaces in which to be interrogated and plenty of opportunities for peering in windows. In an alluring early scene, three compartments are set side by side and each occupied simultaneously by Poirot (Maloney), grisly business tycoon Sam Ratchett (Simon Cotton), and the brash Mrs Hubbard (Christie Kavanagh). Hubbard cranks up the music and dances about her compartment singing to a teddy bear, as Ratchett gets more and more irate next door. Meanwhile, Poirot sticks his ear to the wooden panelling of his compartment, trying to eavesdrop on his fellow passengers.
Agatha Christie was inspired to write Murder on the Orient Express, in part, by her own experiences on the train and the real life people she met who she felt were ripe for inclusion in one of her novels. This production is populated by some of those characters, although we do have to ask: what happened to the other four passengers from the novel? The number does matter. Maybe that will have to be Hercule Poirot’s next case.
A strong cast gives Poirot his suspects. Sumptuous costumes have been assembled, along with effective props, and a myriad of accents. Debbie Chazen’s deliciously bitter Princess Dragomiroff clashes brilliantly with Rebecca Charles’ highly anxious Greta Ohlsson. Mila Carter shines as Countess Elena, and Simon Cotton creates a perfectly odious Samuel Ratchett. Christie Kavanagh’s Helen Hubbard is great fun with her loose boundaries, while contrasted by uptight Mary Debenham (Iniki Mariano). Rishi Rian (The Colonel), Paul Keating (Hector MacQueen) and Jean-Baptiste Fillon (Michel) all bring their retrospective characters to the stage with a suitable air of suspicion.
For fans of the genre, this performance delights. Given that a child’s murder is discovered to be linked to the case, this production is surprisingly humorous, while still managing to do the dark story justice. The cast exhibit a lightness of spirit and excellent grasp of comedic timing, while still giving us emotionally troubled characters. Overall, this highly enjoyable, and beautiful production is well-staged, brilliantly performed, and brings a great deal of humour and entertainment to this grisly tale.
Reviewed on 22nd April 2025. Runs to 26th April.
