Murder on the Orient Express – Richmond Theatre

On the famous Orient Express in between Istanbul and Calais, a disparate group of passengers are bound together. First by the train being forced to stop in a snowdrift and then by the discovery of a dead body, murder most foul! Who among them could have wielded the knife?

Straight onto the case is the world-renowned Belgian (not French!) detective Hercule Poirot who uses his ‘little grey cells’ to unravel the mystery. Yes, this is Agatha Christie’s most iconic tale, now brought to life on the stage in an adaptation by Ken Ludwig, directed by Lucy Bailey.

High praise to set designer Mike Britton for the fantastic train carriage set on display. The neat trick is making the carriages breakaway into different compartments which can be moved in and out of the set to bring us to the different locations on the train. The set itself looks great although the effect is occasionally spoiled by the view of the stage crew doing the moving and by the clanking of the clips holding and releasing the set.

The cast are all good, while accents are very scattershot and occasionally a performer seemingly remembering half-way through a line that they should be doing an accent – there is perhaps a knowing nod to this (and I don’t think it is a huge spoiler to say) as some real accents are revealed.

Some comedy elements flirt with farce, with Monsieur Bouc in particular playing the comic sidekick in moments that occasionally miss the mark. Elsewhere more subtle humour is effectively woven through the play, including gentle ribbing of Poirot’s peculiarities and the enduring joke about confusing him as French instead of Belgian.

A striking shift in tone occurs during the climactic sequence, as Poirot pieces together the clues and reveals the murderer. The play masterfully recreates earlier scenes, with characters briefly revisiting key moments and lines that the detective has picked up on. This flashback device, combined with Poirot’s narration of the crime, is a powerful use of theatrical storytelling. This continues with a flashback to the murder itself, now shown with all its details clear. Gone is the light comedy and borderline farce and instead we lean into the dilemma faced by Poirot. A good choice by the team.

It’s interesting knowing that the production approaches this with the knowledge that so many of the audience will know the solution, will know the ending. It’s careful to set up a slight change of focus, to instead emphasise on the dilemma faced by Poirot – highlighting the detective’s internal struggle with justice and the ethics of retribution. In this setting, with the Second World War looming ever closer, Poirot’s questions on taking the law into one’s own hands and the nature of justice hold a deeper warning.  This echoes now – in today’s world, as we await the outcome of an American election going to have a global impact for years to come and where truth and justice are far from minor issues. It is easy to see comparisons between Poirot’s moral struggle and some of the challenges we face in our current time.

At the very end, some of the audience still gasp. An old story but one that entertains and still has something to offer audiences today no matter their familiarity with the story beforehand.

Reviewer: Dave Smith

Reviewed: 5th November 2024

North West End UK Rating: