Everyman Theatre: Murder on the Orient Express

Ah, murder most foul!  Well, in case there is still one more person out there who was unfamiliar with this book, play, movie (s) let me assure you--no spoiler alerts here.  There is a murder, of course, and in keeping with the genius of Agatha Christie, a bevy of suspects to marvel at and more clues than you can know what do with--all of which will fall neatly into place. 

Taking on one of these parts has got to be an actor's dream.  Played larger than life with amply caricature and tongues firmly affixed to the walls of their cheeks--it was a tour de force of fun and frenzy.  Another excellent example of a repertory company's forte--the ensemble.  And yet a few members found a way to rise a little above the others.  A special shout out to Deborah Hazlett as the serial monogamist, Helen Hubbard.  She hands down got the most laughs, and a show with more than its fair share.  Lilian Oben, Countess Andrenyi, was a new face and delivered the most passionate scene after being exposed for a fraud.  (It would not be a spoiler to mention, they're ALL frauds!)  But, of course, the lynch pin of any murder mystery is the detective, and Bruce Randolph Nelson in the role of Hercule Poirot was absolutely pitch perfect.  I've seen him in two other Everyman productions.  Once in a supporting role, the other in the lead, and I confess, even after I was told this was the same actor, I could not believe it.  What better compliment can you give?

The script demonstrates why Ken Ludwig was one of the most prolific and talented writers of contemporary theatre.  The costumes were a designer's dream, gorgeous and evocative of some romanticized exotic moment in European history just prior to World War II.  But of all of the non-human components, the sets!  Oh My Gawd.  Sumptuous.  Open the divider and enter an Istanbul restaurant full of expatriots and the fun begins.  Then it's All Aboard!  For a series of sets that take you to the Dining Car, the First Class Sleeper Car (one moment as seen from the interior of cabins 1, 2, & 3, and then to the exterior corridor outside of these fateful roomettes).  All the while through large exterior windows, the scene outside the train is passing us by!  It was a magnificent use of technology.

Because I generally attend the theater alone, I also make it a point to strike up a conversation with those around me.  This afternoon, I was in great luck.  By the end of the show through our conversations before the show and during intermission I was fast friends with a gentleman of 70 who sitting to my left and who will have his right knee replaced on January 13th!  I mean, do you tell strangers things like that?  Delightful is the word for this one.