The freezing temperatures have gone away lately and I'm not sick anymore. So I was well enough to see a stage version of Agatha Christie's famous mystery last night in Richardson. It was a nice cozy theater with plush furniture and free popcorn. The acting was great and the set design interesting. I'll see if I can figure out how to post a picture of the set model. (Of course I didn't take any pictures or recordings of the show itself.)
The play is Ken Ludwig's 2017 adaptation of Murder on the Orient Express. Whereas the book has a staggering number of suspects on the train (to match a jury of 12), it is unwieldy to stage that many actors and have the audience keep straight that many people. So wisely the suspects have been whittled down to 8 by dropping some people and combining some others. I liked that they said the Countess Andrenyi used to be a doctor when she was still a commoner; thus they eliminate Dr. Constantine and make the woman more capable and independent. Her husband the Count is not missed, nor is Foscarelli, Hardman, or Masterson. Also the German maid Schmidt is written out and the Swiss missionary is substituted instead for great comedy. It makes for a nice balanced cast of men and women. Macqueen also provides some comic relief too.
Some of the clues are eliminated too with the cut characters, such as the phantom "lady in the red kimono," to further emphasize the phantom "second train conductor" with the missing button on his uniform. Like other recent adaptations of the book, Poirot has an ethical crisis about solving the case, but Mrs. Hubbard is given a good speech to appeal to his conscience. Overall an enjoyable play.
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