Review: Whodunit? MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS at Ottawa Little Theatre

Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express is one of the best-known and most beloved whodunits. First published in 1934, the book has inspired detective fiction writers for decades, and bought about radio, television, and even two star-studded film versions of the story. The stage adaptation by Ken Ludwig, is relatively new, having debuted in 2017. Ludwig was approached by the notoriously selective Agatha Christie Estate to adapt the novel for the stage. Although detective stories are expected to be full of twists and turns, the fact that this adaptation is more farcical than frightful may come as a surprise to audience members who are not forewarned. Ottawa Little Theatre (OLT) has marketed the show under their “mystery” header, but it may have been more appropriate to label it as a farcical mystery to adjust audience expectations. The general plot is still the same: a group of travellers board a train in Instanbul - but when one of them is murdered, an infamous detective and fellow passenger, Hercules Poirot, is recruited to find the killer before they arrive at their destination in London.

Cast performances were generally good all around, but enunciation seemed to be an issue, which may have been due to a sound issue on opening night or, perhaps, due to the various accents being employed to showcase the play's multicultural characters. Either way, several people seated around me complained of their struggle to make out parts of the dialogue.

Ludwig is known for comedic scripts, such as The Gods of Comedy, and his version of Murder on the Orient Express is no exception. Some of the characters have been transformed into caricatures of themselves, seemingly only for the sake of comic relief. Mrs. Hubbard’s character, in particular, risks becoming annoying at times, although the actress (Sharon Bernbaum) does a great job keeping her from being entirely unsympathetic. Princess Dragomiroff (Susanna Doherty) has some fun sarcastic quips thrown in that are deserving of some hearty laughs, and Kate Jordan plays up her character, Greta Ohlsson’s, eccentricities to the audience’s delight (and boy, can she scream!). Dave Demirkan played exactly the type of Poirot that we have come to expect from the mustachioed, slightly egotistical Belgian detective.

The lighting effects (designed by David Magladry) worked extremely well, especially at the beginning when the train departs and during flashback sequences. The use of fog added to the aura of mystery, as well as to represent the train’s steam engine. Any staged version of Murder on the Orient Express presents obvious difficulties, as the bulk of the story takes place aboard the aforementioned train. Rising to the challenge, OLT’s set design team (Venetia Lawless and Lindsay Laviolette) created a two-car, moving set for their production. Lawless and Laviolette even used both sides of the stage to acquire every piece of available floor space and were thus able to convey a sense of multiple areas with limited props. Ultimately, this set is the brightest star of the production.

To avoid giving anything away, suffice it to say that this production has high entertainment value and is well worth the ticket price; however, audiences should be cautioned that this is not a traditional retelling of Christie's Murder on the Orient Express. Knowing that going in will be the trip more enjoyable.

Grab your ticket to climb aboard the Orient Express before it leaves the OLT station on March 16th. Click the link below to buy tickets or click here for more information.

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