By Joanne Engelhardt
One would think everyone over the age of 16 has either read, watched, or maybe even performed in some version of Murder on the Orient Express, Agatha Christie’s novel that has seen numerous iterations in both plays and films. That’s because in 2017, playwright Ken Ludwig (whose Broadway hits include Lend Me a Tenor and Crazy for You) was invited by the Agatha Christie estate to write a stage adaptation of Christie’s novel.
From the reaction to the production of Murder on the Orient Express by Palo Alto Players that this reviewer attended, there’s much amusement to be found in watching Ludwig’s version of Christie’s “whodunnit.”
” …Best to head to this fine production…”
A good deal of the credit goes to the wife-husband team of director Katie O’Bryon Champlin and actor Michael Champlin, playing the part of the intrepid Belgium detective, Hercule Poirot. Champlin gets high marks for speaking impeccable French yet making his words understandable – something that even some of the great Poirots have had trouble doing!
PAP weathered a lot of difficulties mounting Murder due to the fact that its home, Lucie Stern Theatre in Palo Alto, is in the process of seat replacements. Fortunately, PAP was able to secure the modern auditorium at Woodside High School, but had to shorten its run to just seven performances. (It closes June 30.) Some of the planned production had to be revised because the exceptionally wide Woodside stage requires a lot of maneuvers of the clever-but-elongated two-sided sets.
So a big shout-out goes to the hard-working deck crew that moves them around efficiently: Hanna Lubinsky, Anton Popowitz, Neil Sahami and Amiah ‘Fern’ Woertink.
It’s natural that a great train like the Orient Express would have attractive sleeping compartments as well as a well-appointed dining room. Kevin Davies wears at least three hats here: scenic designer, technical director and master carpenter. He’s assisted by scenic painter Greet Jaspaert and carpenters Rebecca Lui and Dave Seiter.
Of course, Champlin isn’t the only fine actor in the cast of 11. Zachary Vaughn-Munck stands out as the pompous Monsieur Bouc, who runs the train line, as well as Patrick Rivera who doubles as Michel, the train conductor and as the head waiter.
Diverse characters show up to take the train trip from Istanbul to London – a few couples and a number of single passengers as well. Patty Reinhart is the comic relief as the chatty Helen Hubbard who’s always trying to get people to pay more attention to her. Another fine performance is put in by Brigitte Losey as the pious Greta Ohlsson, who seemingly only wants to get to Africa to take care of starving babies.
Linda Piccone, wearing what this reviewer thought was a somewhat ill-fitting wig, contributes laughs with her frowny faced doubletakes, especially in the final scene when Poirot relates that she’s now apparently gone to the “Great Beyond.”
April Culver makes a strong impression as Countess Andrenyi, whose nursing skills are needed when another passenger (Michelle Skinner) is slightly injured. Will Livingston plays Colonel Arbuthnot, who shows little emotion about anything — until his character is called into question in the final scene.
Additional production team members who deserve credit for Murder are Brennah Kemmerly as dialect coach and Lisa Claybaugh as costume and hair designer.
The full Christie/Ludwig storyline won’t be revealed here because it is 1) convoluted, 2) clever, and 3) way too difficult to explain. Best to head to this fine production to see for yourself. The production runs about two hours including one 15-minute intermission.
-30-
Aisle Seat Executive Reviewer Joanne Engelhardt is a Peninsula theatre writer and critic who started out her journalism career as a news reporter. She is a voting member of the SF Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle (SFBATCC). Contact: [email protected]
| Production | Murder on the Orient Express |
|---|---|
| Written by | Agatha Christie |
| Directed by | Katie O’Bryon Champlin |
| Producing Company | Palo Alto Players |
| Production Dates | Thru June 30th, 2024 |
| Production Address | 199 Churchill Ave., Woodside |
| Website | www.paplayers.org |
| Telephone | (650) 329-0891 |
| Tickets | $35-$60 |
| Reviewer Score | Max in each category is 5/5 |
| Overall | 4.75/5 |
| Performance | 4.75/5 |
| Script | 4.75/5 |
| Stagecraft | 4.5/5 |
| Aisle Seat Review PICK! | YES! |