Review: MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS at Theatre Harrisburg

Playwright Ken Ludwig’s adaptation Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express has been hailed as fast-paced, intelligent, and humorous, while upholding the glamour and suspense of the original story. The story features Christie’s famed detective Hercule Poirot, who gets caught up in a murder investigation on a train headed toward London. Mystery fans can see Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express presented by Theatre Harrisburg at the Whitaker Center under the direction of Matt Spencer through May 11th.

This production is a visual and auditory treat. The music during scene changes, most of which move smoothly and quickly, maintains the mood of the scene. The set itself is beautifully designed, dressed, and constructed, including a rotating platform that is used to show the audience different parts of the train. With strategic lighting, the audience’s attention is drawn to specific characters and interactions throughout, and the Production Team makes good use of the entire stage. The costumes help to set the action in the 1930s in the middle of a snowstorm. 

The ensemble cast features Quentin West as Michel the Conductor/Head Waiter, Joel Colvin as Hector MacQueen, Toby Bradbury as Samuel Ratchett/Colonel Arbuthnot, Christine Tompkins as Mary Debenham, Alison Whipple as Greta Ohlsson, Beth McIntosh as Princess Dragomiroff, Becky Mease as Countess Andrenyi, Diane McCormick as Helen Hubbard, Gordon Einhorn as Monsieur Bouc, and Darren Riddle as Hercule Poirot. The majority of the cast does an admirable job with the various accents required by their roles, though occasionally the dialogue went a little fast for the audience to fully catch all of the words in what may be less familiar accents. One of the best aspects of this production was the way in which the characters interacted with one another. Their gestures, expressions, and body language made it quite clear to the audience how the characters wanted to be viewed and how they wanted their relationships to be understood.

West gives a wonderful performance as Michel the Conductor and as the Head Waiter in the beginning of the play. His energy is infectious. His comedic timing is highlighted nicely in his role as the Head Waiter, while he brings poise and a sense of responsibility to his role as Michel. His initial interactions with each of the other characters sets the audience’s expectations about who those characters are and how they should feel about them. Colvin’s Hector MacQueen comes across as excitable, nervous, guileless, and a bit bumbling, offering a direct contrast to Bradbury’s crude and brash Samuel Ratchett. Colvin has wonderful facial expressions, and the audience cannot help but feel sympathy for his character when they see how Ratchett treats him and others. Bradbury’s Ratchett is the character the audience will love to hate—the very picture of a rude American tourist. Bradbury’s performance as Colonel Arbuthnot, on the other hand, is stoic and proper—the quintessential protective military man. Christine Tompkins has great chemistry with Bradbury’s Arbuthnot as the English governess Mary Debenham. Tompkins does a great job at making her character seem like a fragile flower that needs to be protected.

Whipple is hilarious as Greta Ohlsson, the often-terrified Swedish missionary. She is quirky and nervous. This role highlights Whipple’s tremendous skill with physical comedy as well. McIntosh’s Princess Dragomiroff is strong, no-nonsense, and opinionated—a direct contrast to her travel companion Ohlsson. McIntosh has perfected the “withering stare” and uses it to great effect in her role as the Princess. Mease and McCormick portray Countess Andrenyi and Helen Hubbard, respectively. Both of these characters are strong, confident women, and Mease and McCormick both have the stage presence and energy necessary to bring them to life. Mease brings a wonderful complexity to her character, making the audience believe that the Countess was indeed a “regular” person and medical professional who married into the aristocracy. Mease interacts beautifully with Riddle’s Poirot. McCormick’s performance as Helen Hubbard was one of this reviewer’s favorites of the evening. She is larger-than-life, self-assured, plain-spoken, and quick to say “I told you so”. McCormick gives her an intensity that cannot be ignored.

Einhorn takes on the role of Monsieur Bouc, the director of the company that runs the Orient Express. He plays the role as a man who is proud of his work, generous toward his friends, and concerned for his company’s reputation. While normally quite poised and in control, Einhorn does a wonderful job of displaying Bouc’s dismay and desperation upon discovering the murder on board his train. Einhorn as Bouc and Riddle as Poirot drive the action forward. Riddle’s Poirot is careful, precise, and measured in everything he does. He knows he’s the smartest man in the room and subtly lets everyone else know it, too. Riddle’s portrayal of Poirot leans into the mystery in a lovely way that this reviewer doesn’t often see in performances of that character, making him seem less like a character and more like a real detective. 

Overall, this production of Murder on the Orient Express at Theatre Harrisburg is beautifully crafted, providing audiences with a complex performance filled with both comedy and intrigue. It is a performance that will bring audiences to the edge of their seats as they try to solve the mystery with Poirot.

Central Pennsylvania Awards - Live Stats

Best Musical - Top 3

1. THE PRODUCERS (Ephrata Performing Arts Center)

24.2% of votes

2. 13 THE MUSICAL (Hershey Area Playhouse)

14.4% of votes

3. SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (The Pennsylvania Playhouse)

4.7% of votes

Vote Now!