UMW Theatre will kick off its 2023-2024 season with Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express adapted for the stage by Ken Ludwig. Performances will be September 21-23 & 28-30 at 7:30 p.m., and September 24 & October 1 at 2:00 p.m. in Klein Theatre, duPont Hall at the University of Mary Washington. Guests may also attend the Pay-What-You-Can Preview performance on September 20 at 7:30 p.m. The box office opens at 5:30 p.m. and tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis. AfterWords, a post-show talkback with the cast, will take place after the matinee performance on September 24. Tickets are $28 for standard admission and $23 for students, senior citizens, and military. Groups of ten or more can receive a discount as well.
Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express tells the story of eleven unique strangers who find themselves stranded on a train with a killer on the loose. When they board the illustrious Orient Express, the passengers do not expect to encounter a dangerous snowstorm and a dead body all in the same night. World-renown detective, Hercule Poirot, is aboard the train and will not rest until he finds the killer. Evidence is collected, stories are corroborated, but nothing is as it seems. Stuck in the snow with nowhere to hide, each passenger is investigated as a possible suspect. The stakes are high as Poirot rushes to find the murderer before they can strike again. This play explores matters of betrayal, justice, class, and forgiveness as tensions rise and the mystery unravels.
Murder on the Orient Express is based upon a 1934 mystery novel by English author, Agatha Christie. Christie was an acclaimed writer who based many of her books around the fictional detective, Hercule Poirot. Her writings inspired many people to reimagine her work, including Ken Ludwig, the playwright, who adapted her hit novel for the stage. Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express first premiered at the McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton, New Jersey on March 14, 2017. This production was directed by Emily Mann, stage managed by Cheryl Mintz, and starred Alan Corduner as Poirot. The show was later co-produced by Hartford Stage Company in Connecticut. It was started by the same director and many of the same actors that starred in the premiere, with the new addition of David Pitta as detective Poirot. This production opened on February 15, 2018. The show continues to collect praise for its ingenuity and remains widely produced by local theatres.
Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express is directed by Marc Williams, assistant professor of theatre. Scenic design is by assistant professor Bridgette Dennett and costume design is by associate professor Kevin McCluskey. Lighting and sound design are by guest designers Max Doolittle and G Clausen, respectively. For further information, call the Klein Theatre Box Office at (540) 654-1111 or visit www.FredTix.com.
