Murder On The Orient Express - A Midweek Whodunit

One of Agatha Christie’s greatest literary achievements is brought to the Sheffield Lyceum stage this week and for ’whodunit’ fans everywhere, this is such a treat! First published in 1934, Murder on the Orient Express remains one of Christie's most popular novels almost 90 years later, probably because it contains everything needed for a good read or film or evening at the theatre. There are an abundance of colourful characters who are stuck aboard an elegant train which itself is stuck in snow drift, a violently murdered corpse in his locked cabin and no means of escape for anyone, but never fear as Hercule Poirot is aboard and he will undoubtedly discover the murderer. It is always a challenge to turn a book into a stage play but Ken Ludwig has made an brilliant job with this production.

As with any Agatha Christie play, the casting of Hercule Poirot has to be the key consideration if the play is to be a success. In this production the part is played by Michael Maloney who was utterly believable as the Belgium detective. He was dressed in the dapper style we have come to expect and whilst there were moments of David Suchet and Peter Ustinov, generally he made the part his own with just the right amount of pomposity and self-satisfied asides. No mean feat when the Hercule Poirot character is so well established.

The entire cast are experienced actors and all played their respective roles well giving stage characters to life and depth. However a special mention must go to Bob Barrett of Holby City fame who played the part of Monsieur Bouc who I thought was an excellent foil to Maloney’s Poirot.

The plot has its humorous moments which created some audience laughter but I felt that some of the humour was misplaced within the script and that more serious sections of the plot such as the discovery of the murder could have handled with more gravitas. That aside, a brisk pace was maintained throughout the performance.

The creative team have excelled themselves creating a railway carriage which had individual rooms along with a corridor running along the length of the train. The carriages were effortlessly revolved through 180 degrees to reveal either the bedrooms on one side or the corridor. This when coupled with the sound and lighting effects of falling snow and the train engine noise really brought the train to life – no mean feat on the stage I suspect. Similarly, the costumes and wigs were both colourful and appropriate.

As ever, with an Agatha Christie plot the audience is kept guessing until the very end and as with every whodunit, the culprit is never who you think it might be. You’ll just have to go and see the play to find out!

Sheffield Lyceum Theatre Until 8th February