Review: PERIL IN THE ALPS at Austin Playhouse

Hercule Poirot (Ben Wolfe) strides back into the fray in Steven Dietz’s quick-witted sequel to his earlier Christie riff, Murder in the Links. Peril in the Alps plants its flag firmly in the comic-mystery genre, that delicious corner of theatre where danger and silliness hold hands and dare the audience to keep up. Dietz leans into the classic ingredients Christie perfected tight quarters, unreliable company, peril wrapped in civility then spikes the mix with contemporary velocity and a wink toward theatrical playfulness. The result is a hybrid that feels both vintage and freshly shaken.

The crime shatters a bright, ordinary morning. A young woman is seized from a bustling hat shop in plain daylight, leaving no trail and no mercy behind. She is pregnant, her future abruptly stolen, and her husband (Bailey Ellis) is left gutted by the news delivered in a chilling letter from the kidnappers. Her twin sister (Sarah Chong Dickey), sharp enough to slice through fog, is married to none other than Captain Hastings (Lara Toner). Ever the earnest chronicler of crime, Hastings steps out of the narrative as easily as he steps into it. Toner addresses the audience with the grace of an actor who’s been breaking theatrical walls for years, guiding us through the panic, the peril, and the peculiar.

Poirot’s entrance steadies the chaos. Wolfe slips into the detective’s skin so naturally it feels inevitable. His comic restraint, his razor timed gestures, and his unruffled command anchor the story with a quiet authority that only heightens the absurdity swirling around him.

And yes, the show is very funny. Comic mystery thrives on the tension between mounting danger and perfectly timed absurdity, and this production hits that rhythm with a dancer’s instinct. A misguided toast, a bungled act of heroism, a telegram that detonates the room each bit lands with a precision that tightens the suspense rather than breaking it.

The show’s true madness belongs to the ensemble. Four actors take on twenty seven roles with the manic confidence of artists who trust the absurd as their native tongue. They vault from suspect to bystander to villain to red herring so quickly the audience begins to question its own footing. Their bodies carry half the narration, their timing the rest. Tonie Knight is wickedly sharp in every role. Huck Huckaby is dangerously hilarious. Sarah Chong Dickey remains a marvel of clarity and intention. Bailey Ellis moves with a physical precision that feels both surprising and inevitable. Together, they populate the stage with a gallery of characters that never blurs, no matter how rapidly the pace accelerates. Their transformations become more than clever tricks; they reveal the genre’s heartbeat. Characters are masks. Motives are performances. Truth refuses to sit still.

One of the night’s brightest eruptions of comedy arrives when the cast attempts to recap the entire plot using tiny hats as stand ins for each character. It is a meta vaudeville cyclone that should collapse under its own chaos but instead becomes a highlight of the night. The room roared because the actors committed with such gentle lunacy that the bit became inevitable. Full applause to props master Kiryat Jearim Castillo.

Costumes by Diana Huckaby rise boldly to the challenge. Smart, era flavored, and sharply tailored, they allow the relentless role switching without a single snag. They keep identities crisp, transitions clean, and the visual narrative unmistakable, never once begging for attention.

Dietz’s fingerprints are everywhere. Identity, duplicity, and the performance of truth have always fascinated him. A tale of twins, mistaken assumptions, and a daylight crime gives him fertile ground for exploring these obsessions with a beautifully light hand. The themes shimmer under the comic surface like ice catching early sun.

Robert Tolaro’s direction crackles with confidence. His pacing snaps like fresh kindling, and his comedic instincts never miss the mark. He delivers a production that feels lovingly retro yet unapologetically alive. In a season overflowing with holiday musicals, this nonholiday thriller feels like slipping into crisp mountain air after too much sugar.

Take the detour. The mystery is sharp, the laughter lands, and the Alps have rarely felt so inviting.

Peril in The Alps

Book by Steven Dietz

Directed by Robert Tolaro

NOW PLAYING

November 21 - December 28, 2025

Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30pm

Sundays at 2pm

Additional matinee on Saturday, December 27 at 2pm

Austin Playhouse West Campus

405 W. 22nd St.