On a cold, soggy evening last Tuesday I settled down alongside a packed audience in the Festival Theatre to enjoy the touring production of Murder on the Orient Express. Having never seen the show before, I was able to watch the whodunnit with a completely fresh pair of eyes. This production was a perfect example of why such mysteries are timeless: suave style, gripping plot-twists and rewarding characters are just a few of the qualities the performance displayed best. Murder on the Orient Express is the third Agatha Christie show that director Lucy Bailey has led, and her experience with the genre was doubtless instrumental to putting on such a captivating show.
The play follows the journey of some of Europe’s most affluent elite in 1934, as they embark on their journey on the luxurious Orient Express. But what starts as a charming trip onboard the height of indulgence quickly descends into horror as a passenger is found dead in their compartment. Over the next two hours, the characters undertake the task of establishing whodunnit. In doing so, they ask valuable questions about the morality of vigilantism and bending the word of the law in the context of a continent on the brink of total fascism.
The play opens on its star, the infamous detective Hercule Poirot. Steadfast yet surreptitious, Poirot, portrayed by Michael Maloney (The Crown, Belfast), sets perfectly the enigmatic tone that will underly the rest of the play. One by one, we are introduced to the suspects, whose integrities will be put to the test. The passengers on the train are described by company director Monsieur Bouc as being characters so intriguing that he could write a book on each. The cast do a flawless job of bringing each of these extravagant characters effortlessly to life.
Complimenting the tone of the play and the brilliance of the cast is the impressive use of scenery in the production. It was an extra treat to watch this show at the Festival Theatre, with its Art Deco interiors perfectly setting the tone. Additionally, the show is fitted with an impressive set design. The sets do a beautiful job of balancing the ornateness necessary to bring to life the affluence of the Orient Express, whilst being simple and effective in their use. Of particular note is the staging of the flashback scenes, which used a combination of lighting and sound to produce an eerily realistic insight into the memories each character is haunted by.
Bailey’s production of the play is a credit to Agatha Christie’s work. The performance enraptured me in a world of deception, sartorial elegance, and murder. The play starts and ends with a spotlight on a lone Poirot. In between we are immersed by a cast of very real characters, beautiful scenery, and an enthralling tale that left me sorrowful to leave my seat at the end of the night, to return to the world outside.
Image provided via Capital Theatres Press Release