Interview: Ruth Crawford of MURDER ON THE LINKS at The Purple Rose Theatre
Murder on the Links is playing now through May 31st at The Purple Rose Theatre in Chelsea, Michigan
The Purple Rose Theatre in Chelsea, MI, presents Murder on the Links. The classic Agatha Christie novel turned stage play is brought to life in a new, exciting take on a classic Whodunit. I had the great pleasure of interviewing Ruth Crawford, one of the ensemble members of Murder on the Links at The Purple Rose Theatre in Chelsea, MI.
Emily Schenk for BroadwayWorld.com: I’m a huge Agatha Christie fan, and I’ve actually read Murder on the Links. I was very excited when I saw that Purple Rose was doing an Agatha Christie adaptation. Were you excited to take on a show from the queen of mystery?
Ruth Crawford: I was excited. The Purple Rose Theatre highlights a lot of local writers. I was kind of delighted that they had gone with Steven Dietz (Playwright who adapted the show to the stage). He communicated with a lot of awesome directors, David Bendena did an amazing job, and it’s very fun. It’s not easy to figure out.
ES: How does this show make itself unique from other Agatha Christie plays?
RC: The set is kind of a bare set, using a lot of boxes and imagination to portray things such as cars, tables, and a ladder. The set is constantly moving, and the actors are making their own sound effects, or another actor is using a sound effect to mimic the sounds of a club hitting a golf ball, for example. It’s unlike anything you’ve seen before
ES: I saw the cast consists of 6 actors. Knowing the story, I’m assuming that everyone is playing double roles. How does the cast maneuver coming on stage as different characters?
RC: Everyone has multiple costumes and accents to differentiate who they are coming onto the stage. Two men and two women play many roles while Hercule Poirot and Hastings stay in their characters the whole show.
ES: How do you balance the suspense and clarity so that the audience can follow the characters pretty easily?
RC: There are a lot of red herrings. You know you don’t really find out who did it until the end. Ashley Wickett plays all of the younger females, and I think that she’s very good. It’s a hard one to follow. I think a less professional group of actors would have a hard time because it’s really up to the imagination of the director. It isn’t your typical laid-out mystery.
ES: You have been working at The Purple Rose Theatre for a while now. What is your favorite thing about doing shows with this company?
RC: Everyone who works at Purple Rose is covered. From the backstage crew to the front of house to the creative team to the actors, everyone feels loved and supported.
ES: What was the hardest scene to pull off that required the most blocking and the most choreography?
RC: The 9-pin scene was very precise. Poirot attempts to present all the facts to Hastings as the four ensemble cast present the different characters as bowling pins. The whole scene was very creative.
ES: Without giving any spoilers away, is there anything the audience should pay attention to to try to solve the case?
RC: I can’t answer that! I will say there are quite a few red herrings. This show is like nothing you have seen before. The director put such an emphasis on the comedy in this show.
I went to see Murder on the Links this past weekend, and I couldn’t stop laughing the whole time. This is a mystery you will have a hard time solving, but you will have so much fun watching it all play out. I loved the innovation used in this show to present a classic novel in such a fresh light. The unique staging, combined with some of the best local actors I have seen to date, makes Murder on the Links a can’t-miss production. The physical acrobatics become the engine of the humor, transforming what could be a standard murder mystery into a gleeful spectacle of near-misses, double-takes, and controlled chaos. With actors juggling multiple roles, the comedy sharpens into something almost athletic. Quick changes aren’t just costume swaps—they’re punchlines. A character exits in a flurry and reappears seconds later as someone entirely new, sometimes barely holding the disguise together, and the audience is in on the joke. The humor thrives in that split-second recognition: the same face, a different voice, an exaggerated posture, and suddenly a new suspect enters the scene. There’s also a playful self-awareness woven through the performance. The actors seem to acknowledge, without breaking the world entirely, just how ridiculous it is to be both the detective and the suspect within moments. That awareness fuels the comedy, turning logistical necessity into a stylistic choice.
Ultimately, the show succeeds because it commits fully to its physical language. Every costume piece is intentional, every exaggerated gesture purposeful. The result is a fast-paced, highly coordinated dance of deception and delight—where the mystery keeps you guessing, but the comedy keeps you laughing even harder.
Murder on the Links is playing now through May 31st at The Purple Rose Theatre in Chelsea, Michigan. Get your tickets here.
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