The travelers are shocked to witness one of their fellow passengers, Mary Debenham (Krystal Millie Valdes) on the floor of a train compartment in Actors' Playhouse's production of "Murder on the Orient Express." (Photo by Alberto Romeu)
His wide, dark eyes, under a head of reddish hair, carry an air of mystery and danger.
But do not let actor Iain Batchelor’s appearance as Samuel Ratchett convince you that his character is the murderer in Ken Ludwig’s funny and gripping stage adaptation of Agatha Christie’s beloved classic, “Murder on the Orient Express.”
In fact, keep in mind that great mystery authors such as Christie are adept at planting false leads.
Fans of Christie and “Murder on the Orient Express,” perhaps her most well-known novel, will be glad to know that Ludwig’s adaptation is faithful without being a replica.
If you have not seen Ludwig’s stage adaptation, you have the chance to do so thanks to Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre. The multi award-winning, nonprofit, professional regional theater company in Coral Gables is presenting, in its more intimate, upstairs theater, Ludwig’s adaptation in a generally solid production. It runs through June 5.
Batchelor is one of several bright spots in this production. Actors’ Playhouse originally slated it for 2020. However, the pandemic delayed it.
A commanding Batchelor oozes menace and vigilance as Ratchett, one of several characters aboard the Orient Express in the early 1930s, traveling from Istanbul to Western Europe.
As the novel’s fans surely know, the characters hail from America and different parts of Europe as well as Russia. Seemingly, they share little to nothing in common. But when a vicious murder happens aboard the train, they are, perhaps, united in wonder, quietly asking, “Whodunit?”
Ludwig (“Lend Me a Tenor,” “Crazy for You”) wrote this stage adaptation to satisfy Agatha Christie Limited’s request. And he did not disappoint. Specifically, Ludwig’s stage adaptation retains the novel’s tension and includes comic lines. Also, the play does not suffer from overdone exposition and narration. While Ludwig does not include all of the novel’s characters, he has retained the essential ones. The play contains a nice mixture of narration and dialogue.
Terry Hardcastle is the infamous Hercule Poirot in "Murder on the Orient Express" at Actors' Playhouse in Coral Gables. (Photo by Alberto Romeu)
The play’s humor is not surprising, considering that Ludwig is one of the stage’s premiere comic playwrights. Fortunately, the comic material does not lessen the sense of mystery suffusing the piece.
The cast, comprised of talented, versatile actors, mostly succeeds, although their attempted accents do not sound real.
Terry Hardcastle, unrecognizable as detective Hercule Poirot, conveys charm when the lawman is speaking to the audience, and when he is in the beginning stages of interviews with suspects. Perhaps the charm carries a disarming effect. In addition, Hardcastle imbues the detective with a business-like demeanor and dogged determination to solve the crime.
I last saw Hardcastle perform skillfully as an easy-going, and later nervous, defensive priest, in the Pultizer Prize-winning drama, “Doubt: A Parable,” at Actors’ Playhouse. To his credit, the actor looks and sounds different in "Murder on the Orient Express."
Hardcastle, as the detective, speaks with at least a semblance of a European accent as the detective. It sounds quite different from the New England accent that the actor used as the priest. Of course, as Poirot, Hardcastle also sports the character’s signature curled mustache.
Another performer who demonstrates versatility is Krystal Millie Valdes as American traveler, Mary Debenham. I have seen Valdes portray impulsive and uptight characters, and here, she, like Hardcastle, is unrecognizable as Debenham. Specifically, Valdes imbues her cool, calm, and unruffled character with believable easygoingness.
Mallory Newbrough portrays Greta Ohlsson with an emotional fragility that makes the slightest thing set her off. Certainly, a setting in which a murder occurred is nearly too much for Ohlsson to handle.
Meanwhile, Irene Adjan, speaking in a sing-songy voice, lends the talkative Helen Hubbard an opinionated air. In addition, you get the sense from Adjan’s portrayal that Hubbard is a happy woman content with her life, and may be unaware that she is irritating folks with her nonstop talk. Adjan’s portrayal contains a flair for the dramatic, and the performer showcases her strong singing voice (Hubbard sings at one point).
Helen Bubbard (Irene Adjan) does not see eye to eye with Samuel Ratchett (Iain Batchelor) in Actors' Playhouse's production of "Murder on the Orient Express." (Photo by Alberto Romeu)
Michael McKenzie plays the train company’s director, Monsieur Bouc, with a frustrated demeanor. After all, a murder onboard the Orient Express may bring his train company bad publicity and perhaps cause potential future passengers not to travel on the train. While McKenzie plays his character with understandable frustration, too often he sounds like a whining child not getting what he wants, as opposed to a company owner concerned about bad public relations for his business.
Director David Arisco builds tension well, finds the right balance between tension and comedy, and is responsible for at least one striking stage picture. Specifically, the characters are wide-eyed with horror at the end of the first act. Impressively, Arisco helps re-create almost that exact picture at the top of the second act.
In Ludwig’s script, he describes one of the Orient Express’s cars as one that “gleams with elegance and romance. The fittings are gold, the cushions are made of red plush, and the bar in the dining car is fashioned of inlaid wood with an Art Deco depiction of an elegant woman lying across an ottoman. It is worthy, in its way, of the great mosaics in Ravenna.The train is breathtaking.”
Tensions run high as a fight breaks out in Actors' Playhouse's production of "Murder on the Orient Express." (Photo by Alberto Romeu)
While Tim Bennett’s workmanlike scenic design resembles a train, it is hardly breathtaking or elegant, as Ludwig describes in his script.
Eric Nelson’s lighting design helps to focus the actors, and the designer smartly uses a red hue during scenes of danger. Somehow, the hue seems appropriate for such scenes, perhaps suggesting blood.
Meanwhile, through Shaun Mitchell’s sound design, we clearly hear the dialogue. And Ellis Tillman’s costumes are period specific, visually appealing, and character appropriate.
Overall, Ludwig’s stage adaptation of “Murder on the Orient Express” satisfies the suspense lovers among us, and tickles the funny bone.
Through productions of pieces such as “Doubt: A Parable,” and “Murder on the Orient Express,” the highly-respected Actors’ Playhouse, renowned for its excellent productions of musicals, demonstrates that it can also handle straight plays with skill.
Actors’ Playhouse production of Ken Ludwig’s stage adaptation of “Murder on the Orient Express” continues through June 5 at the Miracle Theatre. Its location is 280 Miracle Mile in Coral Gables. For performance times and tickets, go to actorsplayhouse.org.
