The exotic Orient Express is about to go off the rails. With a train full of remarkable suspects and an alibi for each one, it’s the perfect mystery for detective Hercule Poirot.
When the Agatha Christie estate approached Ken Ludwig to adapt Dame Agatha’s most enduring novel and put it on stage, he agreed with alacrity – just as quickly as it takes Hercule Poirot to solve the most thrilling case of his entire career.
So wax your mustache and hold onto your passport for what has now become the most highly produced comedy-mystery in the world.
Recent News and Reviews
Reviews
Alexandra Silber Photo: T. Charles Erickson
Deborah Hazlett, Lilian Oben, Helen Hedman, Hannah Kelly, Beth Hylton, Danny Gavigan, and Bruce Randolph Nelson, Everyman Theatre. Photo: Teresa Castracane Photography.
David Pittu. Photo: T. Charles Erickson
The Company in the Alley Theatre’s production of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express. Photo: Lynn Lane
“Ken Ludwig’s adaptation has skillfully filleted Christie’s novel into a two-hour play that threads the essential elements of the plot into a well crafted tale. Pure theatrical class.”—Joanthan Baz
“★★★★ A first class ride all the way!”—The Guardian
“★★★★ Ludwig deftly handles the rollercoaster-cum-puzzle box of Christie’s storytelling, briskly moving us from one revelation to another.”—The Stage
“★★★★★ Ken Ludwig’s snappy adaptation is what makes this production possible…An excellent script, with sublime dramatic pacing, canny variation for the eye and- importantly for the audience (and the Christie estate), it keeps faith with the novel.”—B24/7
"Hang on for the ride!"--The Philadelphia Inquirer
"Murder On The Orient Express—A Funny, Fast-Paced Thrill Ride At Hartford Stage"--The Hartford Currant
"Murder On The Orient Express at Hartford Stage"--Broadway World
"ENTERTAINMENT Review: Murder On The Orient Express at Hartford Stage"--The Westfield News
"McCarter does justice to Agatha Christie with new Murder On The Orient Express"--NJ Arts
ARTICLES
Agatha Christie Ltd Murder on the Orient Express Q&A with Ken Ludwig
"In Ken Ludwig’s Murder On The Orient Express,’ a Dead Man and a Writer on the Rails"--The New York Times
"Ken Ludwig: Master of Stage Mysteries—at the Moment"--Zip06.com
Original Cast and Creative Team
Murder on the Orient Express premiered at McCarter Theatre Center for the Performing Arts (Emily Mann, Artistic Director; Timothy J. Shields, Managing Director) on March 17, 2017. It was directed by Emily Mann, Scenic Design by Beowulf Boritt, Costume Design by William Ivey Long, Lighting Design by Ken Billington and Sound Design by Darron L West. The Production Stage Manager was Cheryl Mintz and the Stage Manager was Samantha Flint.
The cast was as follows: Daisy Armstrong - Ivy Cordle; Colonel Arbuthnot/Ratchett - Max Von Essen; Hercule Poirot - Allan Corduner; Michel/Head Waiter - Maboud Ebrahimzadeh; Mary Debenham - Susannah Hoffman; Helen Hubbard - Julie Halston; Monsieur Bouc - Evan Zes; Princess Dragomiroff - Veanne Cox; Greta Ohlsson - Samantha Steinmetz; Hector MacQueen - Juha Sorola; Countess Andrenyi - Alexandra Silber
This production of Murder on the Orient Express later opened at Hartford Stage (Darko Tresnjak, Artistic Director, Michael Stotts, Managing Director) on February 23, 2018.
The cast was as follows: Daisy Armstrong - Jordyn Elizabeth Schmidt; Colonel Arbuthnot/Ratchett - Ian Bedford; Hercule Poirot - David Pittu; Michel/Head Waiter - Maboud Ebrahimzadeh; Mary Debenham - Susannah Hoffman; Helen Hubbard - Julie Halston; Monsieur Bouc - Evan Zes; Army Officer/Porter - Charles Paul Mihaliak; Princess Dragomiroff - Veanne Cox; Greta Ohlsson - Samantha Steinmetz; Hector MacQueen - Juha Sorola; Countess Andrenyi - Leigh Ann Larkin