MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS to Open Alabama Shakespeare Festival’s 40th Season
The production will run October 2–26, 2025, in Montgomery, AL.
By: A.A. Cristi Sep. 19, 2025
Alabama Shakespeare Festival will launch its 40th season with Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express, directed by Artistic Director Quin Gresham. Performances will run October 2–26, 2025, on the Festival Stage. This will mark Gresham’s first production as director at ASF.
Based on the celebrated novel, Murder on the Orient Express follows famed detective Hercule Poirot as he investigates the murder of a passenger aboard the luxurious Orient Express after the train is halted by a snowstorm. As suspicion falls on every traveler, Poirot must uncover the truth before the killer strikes again.
“Directing this play has been a delight, not only because of the puzzle at its center, but because it asks questions that linger far beyond the final curtain: What is justice? Who decides, and at what cost?” said Gresham. “To sort through those questions with this brilliant cast and creative team is almost too good to be true.”
Chris Mixon will star as Hercule Poirot. A longtime ASF resident actor (1999–2006), Mixon has appeared in more than 25 ASF productions, with recent credits including A Christmas Carol, The Tempest, and Macbeth.
The ensemble of passengers and suspects will include Axel Avin, Jr. (Michel), Tarah Flanagan (Greta), Daniel Harray (Samuel Ratchett), Susannah Hoffman (Countess Andrenyi), Greta Lambert (Princess Dragomiroff), Jesse Manocherian (Headwaiter), Gustavo Marquez (Hector MacQueen), Jean McCormick (Helen Hubbard), Michael McKenzie (Bouc), Max Monnig (Col. Arbuthnot), and Cassia Thompson (Mary Debenham).
The production team will feature scenic design by Stephen Gifford, costume design by Garth Dunbar, sound design by Ryan Hall, lighting design by Jared Sayeg, projections design by Kylee Lorea, assistant projections design by Zachary Cohn, automation programming by Jeff Baldwin, stage management by Marshall Lee Smith, Jr., assistant stage management by Delaney Dunster, and production assistance by Wryn Harrington.
Ticketing Information
Tickets start at $27. To purchase, call 334-271-5353, visit the ASF Box Office (open Monday–Saturday from 12:00 p.m.), or go online at ASF.net. Evening performances begin at 7:00 p.m., and matinees begin at 2:00 p.m.
About Alabama Shakespeare Festival
Alabama Shakespeare Festival, the State Theatre of Alabama, builds community through transformative theatrical performances and educational programs. From its beginnings in Anniston in 1972 to its move to a $21.5 million performing arts complex in Montgomery in 1985, ASF has become a cornerstone of Southern culture. ASF produces Shakespeare, classics, new works, musicals, and theatre for young audiences, reaching more than one million students through education programs since its inception.
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