Murder on the Orient Express
Agatha Christie's murder mystery - touring production seen at the Theatre Royal Plymouth
To be honest, over the years I have seen many stage versions of Agatha Christie's stories and have usually left feeling rather disappointed. Not last night, this is a clever and witty adaptation by Ken Ludwig which is brought to the stage with confidence and pace by director Lucy Bailey.
Setting an entire show (well, except the first few minutes) on a train does lead to staging issues, these are mostly handled well. The train comes to bits and a large projection over the stage provides context. I must say that some of the changes were a bit long and clunky but it didn't detract overall and in the second half expanding the action out onto the whole stage worked really well.
Michael Maloney's Poirot if most enjoyable but this is a real ensemble piece, relying on a fully committed cast to deliver the story. No problems there as the cast work well together throughout, keeping the story moving along and bringing it to a nicely staged conclusion.
Much to recommend in this production, go and enjoy a fun evening!