Review: AGATHA CHRISTIE'S MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS at Twin Lakes Playhouse in Mountain Home

Taking the journey to Twin Lakes Playhouse is always worth the drive, and this time, the journey continued aboard one of the most famous trains in literary history. Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express, adapted for the stage by Ken Ludwig and running through Sunday, September 6, delivers mystery, murder, colorful characters, and a surprising amount of laughter. Directed by Joanne Helms with Ronna Fulton serving as Assistant Director, this production embraces the suspense you expect from Christie while proving that murder (at least on stage) can also be incredibly funny.

In fact, during intermission, I overheard a group of women discussing exactly that. They had seen Agatha Christie stories on BBC before, but they couldn’t remember them ever being this funny. I had to smile because they were absolutely right. Ludwig’s adaptation gives Christie’s famous murder mystery a wonderfully theatrical energy, and Twin Lakes Playhouse leans into those lighter moments without losing the intrigue that keeps us wondering who did it. Though I have seen Murder on the Orient Express several times, there were still a few jokes that I caught for the first time in this production.

The story follows legendary detective Hercule Poirot, played by Mike Horberg, who unexpectedly finds himself aboard the luxurious Orient Express alongside a rather colorful collection of passengers. When one of those passengers is discovered murdered in his compartment, everyone aboard becomes a suspect. Unfortunately, the train has become stranded by snow, leaving Poirot trapped with the killer. Giving him a limited amount of time to question the passengers, he sorts through their secrets, and determine who had the motive and opportunity to commit murder.

Horberg takes command of the investigation as Poirot, giving the famous detective a wonderful combination of confidence, curiosity, and dry humor. He is surrounded by a cast of characters who each bring something completely different to the mystery, and his chemistry with each suspect makes the interrogations especially entertaining. Adam Dye plays Constantine Bouc, who desperately wants this mystery solved before the police arrive. Dye and Horberg work particularly well together, with Bouc’s growing urgency playing beautifully against Poirot’s more deliberate approach to solving the crime. 

Karen Maupin brings a lot of theatrical energy as Helen Hubbard, creating a character who demands attention whenever she enters the scene. Maupin has terrific comic instincts, and her interactions with Horberg are especially fun as Hubbard enthusiastically inserts herself into Poirot’s investigation. Olivia Wolfe is beautifully composed as Countess Elena Andrenyi, whose elegance and mystery naturally intrigue Poirot. Wolfe and Horberg create an entirely different chemistry in their scenes together, with Poirot approaching the Countess with a gentler curiosity that makes their exchanges compelling to watch.

 Vance Jones adds his dramatic flair to Colonel James Arbuthnot, bringing a strong, commanding presence to the character, and he is a great match for Anna Fountain as the cautious Mary Debenham. Jones and Fountain have wonderful chemistry together, particularly in those moments when their characters are trying very hard not to reveal more than they should. Nikolas Minard as Michel the Conductor takes great care of the train and its passengers, bringing an endearing energy to the role even as the circumstances aboard his train become increasingly chaotic.

Sue Howe is wonderfully regal as Princess Natalia Dragomiroff, carrying herself with the authority of someone who is accustomed to being listened to, while Andrea McInnis gives Greta Ohlsson an engaging nervousness that makes her fun to watch during Poirot’s questioning. Sullivan Dye brings great energy to Hector MacQueen, especially as the pressure of the investigation begins to build, and Cole Taylor gives Samuel Ratchett an appropriately intimidating edge, immediately establishing that there is much more to this passenger than meets the eye. Danielle Boelkens as the Head Waitress rounds out the company nicely, helping establish the elegant world of the Orient Express before murder sends everyone aboard into a tailspin.

Helms keeps the production moving while allowing the characters plenty of room to develop their individual personalities. That is especially important with this story because the entertainment comes not only from solving the murder but from watching these wildly different people interact while confined together. The humor feels like a natural extension of their personalities rather than something added simply to get a laugh.

The production also earns major applause—quite literally—for its clever use of rotating scenic panels during the scene changes. The transitions were so smooth and beautifully coordinated that watching the tech crew transform the train became almost like watching a ballet. At one point, the audience was so impressed that they actually applauded the crew during the scene change!

Twin Lakes Playhouse continues to be a wonderful destination for community theatre in Mountain Home, and Murder on the Orient Express is the kind of production that makes for a particularly fun night out. This production runs through Sunday, September 6, at Twin Lakes Playhouse in Mountain Home. For more information and tickets, visit their website at https://twinlakesplayhouse.org/.

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