Pioneer Theatre Company: Murder on the Orient Express

“At its heart, this piece asks a deeply human question about justice and who holds the right to see it served.”

Melissa Rain Anderson – Director’s Note

Pioneer Theatre Company opens its 2023-2024 season with Ken Ludwig’s stage adaptation of Agatha Christie’s classic mystery Murder on the Orient Express. The tale is familiar, along with its recognizable Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, previously portrayed on screen by actors such as David Suchet and Kenneth Branagh. Theater-goers naturally arrive with preconceived ideas of how the story and its detective should look and sound, while simultaneously wondering how a story that weaves together international characters, changing geography, and a moving train will translate to the fixed space of a stage. How will this production measure up to the successful film versions that preceded it? How will it honor a familiar and beloved story while also creating something fresh and intriguing? My friend Heather and I attended Saturday afternoon’s performance to see for ourselves how Pioneer Theatre Company would interpret this well-known classic.

Patrons leave behind 2023 and step into 1934 the moment they set foot in the theater. Jazz music plays, and a portion of the set, hinting at a Turkish cafe is visible. The show begins, and Hercule Poirot (John Tufts) enters the stage to deliver a monologue that reflects on the adventure that will follow. Light and sound effects signal the roaring train that will house the play’s intrigue. A flashback, voiced off-stage, recalls the kidnapping and murder of a young girl, a detail that will resurface and gain significance later. The scene shifts to a hotel café in Istanbul where Poirot receives a telegram summoning him back to London on urgent business. With the help of his friend and railway director Monsieur Bouc (Edward Juvier), Poirot secures a spot on the otherwise fully booked Orient Express, leaving that night. A cast of eccentric, international characters make their way to the platform and board the train: an older Russian princess (Bonnie Black), her Swedish assistant (Amy Bodnar), a Hungarian countess (Gisela Chipe), an English governess (Andrea Morales), a Scottish colonel (Robert Scott Smith), a Minnesota housewife (Anne Tolpegin), and an unpleasant American businessman (Robert Scott Smith) with his secretary (Matthew McGloin) in tow. The businessman, Samuel Ratchett, immediately attempts hiring Poirot as his security detail because he has been receiving death threats, but Poirot declines. The train progresses on its way, only to become stuck in heavy snow on its first night. The following morning, Ratchett is found dead in his compartment, the victim of multiple stab wounds to the chest. Poirot investigates and interrogates. Clues suggest the murderer must be someone on board, but everyone appears to have an alibi for the time of the murder. As more information comes to light, Poirot learns that everyone on board also has a connection to three-year old Daisy Armstrong, kidnapped and murdered by Bruno Cassetti, and Samuel Ratchett was, in fact, Bruno Cassetti. In classic Poirot fashion, he gathers everyone in the dining car once he has enough information to reveal the murderer’s identity.

This production of Murder on the Orient Express features an outstanding, dynamic cast whose actors aptly embody the characters they are portraying. John Tufts as Poirot draws the audience in and satisfies their expectations with an immaculate Belgian accent and easily recognizable characteristics. He neither gives pretense of being the character nor imitates previous actors’ interpretations of him. He simply is Poirot and sustains a strong performance throughout which I really enjoyed. I also really enjoyed Gisela Chipe as the Hungarian countess and Anne Tolpeguin as the Minnesota housewife because of the sass, class, and energy they bring to their roles. The entire cast infuses their roles with ample comic relief to break the tension in the plot.

Pioneer Theatre Company succeeded in creating clever sets, staging, and special effects to match the actors’ dynamic performances. Set designers constructed train cars that move along an apparatus to simulate the movement of a train as well as to accommodate the characters’ need to move from one train car to another. Light and sound effects emphasize key moments in the action, particularly the scene in which the murderer’s identity is revealed. That scene was a highlight for me because of how it tightly weaves together dialogue to recap key clues in the investigation with light and sound to highlight the points being made. Each piece of the reveal creates suspense until it is clear who the culprit is.

True to the director’s comment quoted above, this production of Murder on the Orient Express effectively wrestles with what constitutes justice and who has the right to execute it. Always precise in his thoughts and actions, Poirot has to accept that the spirit of the law might be as just as the letter of the law. His monologues that bookend the play give the audience ample food for thought.

Heather and I enjoyed this production. A few performances remain. Click here to purchase tickets or to learn more about Pioneer Theatre Company productions.