SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Sept. 25, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — The book “Murder on the Orient Express” is widely regarded as one of Agatha Christie’s greatest literary achievements. First published in 1934, the stylish, suspenseful murder mystery is about an unlikely cast of potential suspects — including a colonel, a princess and a countess, all with alibis — trapped aboard the train that’s described as “luxury on rails.”
Before I saw Pioneer Theatre Company’s “Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express,” I didn’t actually realize it was a play, as well as a book and a movie (actually two movies, it’s a pretty iconic story).
The stage adaptation, commissioned by the Agatha Christie Estate, promises fans of the mystery classic the same thrilling ride. Pioneer is opening its 62nd season with this fairly recent adaptation, penned by Ken Ludwig, who also wrote the book for “Lend Me a Tenor” and “Crazy for You.” The production is described as follows: “Just after midnight, a snowdrift stops the Orient Express in its tracks. The luxurious train is surprisingly full for the time of the year, but by the morning it is one passenger fewer. An American tycoon lies dead in his compartment, stabbed eight times, his door locked from the inside. Isolated and with a killer in their midst, the passengers rely on detective Hercule Poirot to identify the murderer — in case they decide to strike again.”
The play had its world premiere at the multi-award-winning McCarter Theatre, on the campus of Princeton University, six years ago. It was then staged in England twice in 2022. As I mentioned, two films also exist, one made in 1974 starring Albert Finney as Poirot, and the other in 2017, starring Kenneth Branagh as the mustachioed detective.
And for anyone who’s not sure whether Christie’s books translate well to the stage, for me, this production was just as lovely as curling up with a really great mystery novel on a winter’s day.
There’s not too many theaters in town, if any, that could depict a train onstage with such panache; and not just any train, but the iconic Orient Express, that traveled the length of continental Europe between 1883 and 2009. The scenic design by Jason Simms is absolutely jaw dropping; depicting the magnificent vehicle from the outside, complete with windows that light up and change colors. There is also a glorious mountain range in the background with snow that falls with a pleasant intensity (the train is departing from Istanbul, but it rather resembles Utah!) We then see the interior of the train in all its Art Deco glory; in fact, the cars slide back and forth, so three areas are depicted; the one in which the crime occurs, which is a sleeping car, plus a second car that with set pieces rearranged serves as both a dining and a lounge car.
I’ve rarely seen such an opulent set as this, and gratifyingly, the other production values are just as sumptuous. The lighting by Jaymi Lee Smith, as I mentioned, is quite dramatic, with bold washes of color depending on the mood, and the mountain range in the background lit in blues and purples. The costumes, by Phillip R. Lowe, are exquisite and perfectly represent early 1930’s style. For example, there is one female character that wears pants, and the piece is set during the period of time when trousers for women were beginning to be accepted. Though in 1933, just a year before the show is set, Marlene Dietrich was turned away from a Hollywood restaurant for wearing the controversial garment. The hair and makeup design, supervised by Tami Lee Thompson, is sophisticated and just right for the period. The sound design, by Elton Bradman, also sets the scene nicely with effects such as screams and gunshots, as well as atmospheric train noises.
It’s a credit to Melissa Rain Anderson, who is making her PTC directorial debut, that the performances of all 10 actors are not at all upstaged by the lavish look of the show. It is truly an ensemble cast; there’s a particular rhythm to the play, almost as if the actors are performing a symphony. They appear to be a diverse group, with nothing in common… but of course, in Christie’s world, nothing is ever as it seems. Dialect coach Adrianne Moore probably has never been busier than with this show; there is a veritable smorgasbord of dialects, from the Belgian dialects of Poirot (John Tufts) and the high-ranking employee of the company that operates the Orient Express, Monsieur Bouc (Edward Juvier), to the crisp English accent of Mary Debenham (Andrea Morales), Russian for Princess Dragomiroff (Bonnie Black), Swedish for the Princess’s companion Greta Ohlsson (Amy Bodnar), and Hungarian for Countess Andrenyi (Gisela Chípe).
Local actor Robert Scott Smith even gets to play two characters with vastly different dialects; Scottish for Colonel Arbuthnot and mobster-style Brooklyn for Samuel Rachett, the victim. So too does actor Alec Ruiz, who plays Michel the Conductor and the Head Waiter, who are respectively French and Turkish.
There’s only one character that speaks with a standard American dialect; Hector MacQueen, played by Matthew McGloin, who is the personal secretary and assistant to Rachett. Even Helen Hubbard (Anne Tolpegin) gets to have fun with a thick Minnesota dialect. It’s not fair to say that any performance steals the show, but having also seen Tolpegin in last season’s “The Prom,” I will say she plays her roles with such flamboyance that it’s hard to tear your eyes away from her when she’s on stage. She depicts Hubbard with wise-cracking ebullience and a liberal sprinkling of humor.
I must add, it’s great to see so many female roles that are so meaty; every single actor has plenty to sink their teeth into. And though it’s awfully fun to listen to the potpourri of dialects, every actor delves into their role and creates a character or characters that are multidimensional and never slip into caricature. This stage adaptation is at times a comedy caper and at others a spine-chilling mystery, but in this case that works just beautifully.
It is worth mentioning that even if you happen to know whodunnit, as many of us do who have seen one or other of the film adaptations or read the book, this does not detract from the experience in the slightest. I found it just as interesting to observe Poirot’s journey to solving the crime, and to watch plot lines that seem disparate braid together so tidily by the end. As Poirot himself says in the play, “What better way to spend a pleasant evening together?”
You don’t have too much time to climb aboard the Orient Express; the show opened Friday and goes through Oct. 7 at the Simmons Pioneer Memorial Theatre at 300 S. 1400 East. There are performances Monday through Thursday at 7 p.m., Friday at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available at PioneerTheatre.org or by calling PTC’s box office at 801-581-6961.
