All aboard as we witness the tale of one of Agatha Christie’s most famous whodunnits, Death on the Nile. The play, following in the footsteps of the sell-out success of predecessor Murder on the Orient Express, is brought to the Festival Theatre with astounding stage and costume design, but with acting performances which are sometimes inconsistent and overly theatrical.
Audiences follow world-famous detective, Hercule Poirot, on board a cruise “under the heat of the Egyptian sun,” meeting characters who all become suspect to the brutal murder of high-socialite Linnet Ridgeway — including her newlywed husband Simon Doyle and her childhood ex-friend Jacqueline de Bellefort. The set design by Mike Britton places us on the cruise ship, sealing us in cabins amongst smooth transitions.
It would be thoughtless to ignore the rest of the cast’s talent, as they all bring a certain, passionate quality to their individual characters. Esme Hough as Jacqueline however is the clear star performer, with full control of the stage and its audience as she revels in Jackie’s vengeful spite and anger. Her presentation makes her stand out amongst the cast, fully enveloping her character and delivering a passionate, emotional performance that, in the end, brings along the story’s cathartic ending.
The play seems to hold a good balance between presenting these different emotions in their characters — from the humour shared in Poirot and Barrett’s Colonel Race’s friendship, to the spiteful rivalry between the two female protagonists, and, moreover, the undeniable connection between Nye Occomore’s Simon Doyle and Libby Alexandra-Cooper’s Linnet Ridgeway. Audiences swoon alongside them as they remain head-over-heels for each other.
However, the downside to this cast knowing and embodying their characters so well is that, at times, there is a lack of harmony among the cast and their characters. It feels quite messy at times, as good, strong acting falls to just who could be the loudest and gain the audience’s attention most, with characters shouting over each other.
It’s difficult to judge a Christie whodunnit remake without absent-mindedly comparing it to other revisions; in addition to already having the knowledge of who the murderer is from it being such a famous narrative. Despite this, Ken Ludwig and Lucy Bailey’s adaptation cleverly has characters who conform to the stereotypical Poirot detective’s tale humorously, and they cleverly call this out with funny quips that often break the fourth wall as they stare directly toward the audience, awaiting laughter. From these recurring mentions of cliché, the play almost becomes an homage to all of Christie’s murder mysteries starring detective Poirot.
Photo by Manuel Harlan, courtesy of Capital Theatres.