Agatha Christie's MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS Comes to Lakewood Theatre Company in January

Kick off the new year with an adventure that starts as a luxurious journey through Europe and becomes the scene of a murder in the blink of an eye.

Just after midnight, the famous train is stopped in its tracks by a snowdrift. When the isolated passengers discover a person stabbed to death they quickly become suspects as the one and only detective Hercule Poirot strives to identify the killer before the murderer strikes again.

Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express, directed by David Sikking, is a clever and quick-witted Agatha Christie adaptation by Ken Ludwig. It will keep you asking, "Whodunit?"

The play begins January 7 and continue through February 13, 2022, playing Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights at 7:30 PM, one Wednesday performance (Jan. 26) at 7:30 PM, a Saturday matinee at 2:00 PM (Feb. 5), and Sunday matinees at 2:00 PM (Jan. 9, 16, 23, 30 and Feb. 6 and 13). The show's title sponsors are Bill & Barbara Warner. The directorial sponsors are Horst & Graben Wealth Management and Drs. Bill & Ricky Korach, and the guest artist sponsors are Sen. Bob Packwood & Elaine Franklin.

The theatre is located at Lakewood Center for the Arts, 368 S. State St. in Lake Oswego. Ticket prices are $36/adults and $34/seniors. Other discounts are available for students and groups. For additional information and tickets, call the Lakewood Box Office at (503) 635-3901 or order online at www.lakewood-center.org.

Special note: On Wednesday, January 26, the theatre continues its program called WOW: 25-35. For audience-goers 35 and under, tickets are priced at $25 each. Use the code WOW25 when ordering tickets online to get this special discount. At this performance, there will be a complimentary wine tasting one hour before curtain courtesy of Willamette Vineyards. OLCC rules apply! Bring your ID for the tasting!

The story: Famous detective Hercule Poirot (Mark Schwahn) is called back from Istanbul to London on urgent business. He intends to book a first-class compartment on the Orient Express, run by his friend and colleague, Monsieur Bouc (Gary Powell). The train is surprisingly full, but Bouc manages to secure Poirot a spot in the first-class cabin. While aboard the Orient Express, Poirot meets a host of peculiar characters: an aging Russian princess (Vana O'Brien), her Swedish companion (Caren Graham), a Hungarian countess (Kelsey Glasser), a Minnesota housewife (Marilyn Stacey), a Scottish colonel (Tom Walton), an English governess (Kylie Jenifer Rose), a French conductor (Tom Mounsey), a disagreeable American businessman (Alan H. King), and his anxious secretary (Matt Sunderland).

A hint to the mystery is foreshadowed as the play opens with disembodied voices recounting the abduction of Daisy Armstrong, the child of the wealthy American Colonel Armstrong and his wife, which ultimately ended with her death.

As a snowdrift halts the Orient Express in its tracks, Ratchett, a rather detestable passenger, is found stabbed multiple times in his locked train compartment. Poirot is tasked by Monsieur Bouc to solve the murder, as the killer could still be in their midst. As Poirot investigates, conflicting clues and convoluted alibis lead him to dead ends. Over the course of 48 hours, will Poirot be able to solve the case of the Murder on the Orient Express?

Though many will already know the ending, it is the ride that makes the production so much fun and Ken Ludwig injects a good mix of humor into the proceedings.

LTC's production of Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express is directed by David Sikking, the stage manager is PJ Harris, scenic design is by Demetri Pavlatos, incidental choreography is by Laura Paxson, sound design is by Rodolfo Ortega, lighting design is by Nate & Juniper Zwainlesk, costume design is by Paige A. Hanna, fight choreography is by Sam Dinkowitz, dialect coach is Kylie Jenifer Rose, properties design is by Micah Steury and the producer is Steve Knox.

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