Murder on the Orient Express: a remarkably stylish and humorous take on the Agatha Christie tale
Watching David Suchet as the inimitable Belgian detective Hercule Poirot in the long-running ITV series was a staple of my adolescent televisual diet. Happily, Lucy Bailey’s touring production is a remarkably stylish and surprisingly humorous take on Agatha Christie’s 1934 novel set aboard the world-famous luxury locomotive.
Poirot is on board the Orient Express on its journey from Istanbul to London as a personal guest of the train company director. But, when the train is stuck in a snowdrift, a brutal murder is committed. With no means of outside communication and all suspects possessing ostensibly rock-solid alibis, it’s up to Poirot to unmask the killer.
Notwithstanding the inevitable spectre cast by Albert Finney, Peter Ustinov and Kenneth Branagh, who have all put their own spin on the role in their on-screen depictions, Michael Maloney does a fine job as the fastidious, moustachioed sleuth.
Despite at times being a touch too strident, Maloney brilliantly captures Poirot’s supercilious air of cerebral superiority, hectoring bombast and priggishness, all couched in a strong, Gallic-adjacent accent. The ethical quandary of his obsession with justice is also nicely handled in the play’s denouement, pertinently asking if the law should be obeyed at all costs.
As for the suspects, Christine Kavanagh brings sass, energy and wit to the role of inveterately flirtatious divorcee Helen Hubbard, Debbie Chazen as Princess Dragomiroff impresses with her deadpan comedic put-downs and Simon Cotton is suitably obnoxious as belligerent American businessman Samuel Ratchett, all fur-coated domineering swagger and relentless macho posturing.
Directed with a skilful combination of moral seriousness and knowing jocularity by Bailey (Witness For The Prosecution), this production benefits from Mike Britton’s exceptional set design, fully utilising the revolving stage and opulent, wood-panelled train compartments to convey both a sense of movement and claustrophobia.
Moderately faithful to Christie’s novel (the number of characters has been reduced), this adaptation from US playwright Ken Ludwig is taut and pacy without losing the power of the original. This production might not unduly tax “the little grey cells” (as Poirot is wont to say) but what it lacks in deductive rigour, it more than makes up for in elegant, strong performances, atmospheric lighting and the superb train carriage set.
Thankfully no Mousetrap, neither hammy nor histrionic, this timeless tale of revenge, collective culpability and the ardent, all-consuming desire for retribution is as dark, compelling and suspenseful as it was when Christie’s novel was first published 90 years ago.
A highly enjoyable period piece which will delight die-hard Poirot aficionados and classic whodunit fans alike, this memorable Orient Express ride is certainly one train journey worth taking.
Touring until May 3; murderontheorientexpressplay.com
