One body, eight stab wounds and a detective with the world’s most famous moustache. Joanna Wane meets the women suspected of murder in an Auckland production of Agatha Christie’s classic whodunnit.
A pipe. A doctor’s bag. A woman’s purse. A pocket watch. A pile of handwritten letters. A silver cigarette case. A bottle of Champagne.
Laid out on a side table in Auckland Theatre Company’s rehearsal room, the items are tagged as “props”. They are, in fact, clues to one of the world’s most notorious murder mysteries.
Weeks before opening night, Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express had already become the company’s fastest-selling production on record – outdoing the 2016 smash hit Billy Elliot.
Fitting neatly into the “cosy murder” genre, the original 1930s novel is a classic whodunnit, with more twists than a sommelier’s corkscrew.
In a genius piece of casting, the inscrutable Belgian detective Hercule Poirot will be played by Cameron Rhodes, sporting a suitably outrageous moustache. Arguably, though, the real star of the show is Elizabeth Whiting’s glorious period costume design.
The story was inspired by a journey Christie herself took on the luxurious Orient Express in 1928 and a blizzard that stranded the train for six days near Turkey just a few months later.
In this stage adaptation by US playwright Ken Ludwig (Lend Me a Tenor), heavy snowfall traps Poirot on board with a cast of colourful suspects for the brutal killing of a passenger from America in a first-class compartment. As you might imagine, all is not what it seems.
Christie, a remarkable woman who taught herself to read at the age of 4 and took up surfing in the 1920s, was known for creating strong female characters who are central to her tangled plots.
Murder on the Orient Express, which was published almost a century ago, is no exception.
In this exclusive peek behind the scenes, five women on the train profess their innocence in the hours after the body is found.
A beautiful Hungarian doctor who matches wits with Hercule Poirot.
“I have seen the body and it is horrible, horrible. I encountered this person only once before. He was not a nice man.
“But I am too well-mannered to be murdering. These hands are for healing, not killing. I work as a doctor, which is unusual, perhaps, but I volunteered in the war.
“I am travelling alone to visit my mother. Unfortunately, my husband could not join me on this trip. He is having business elsewhere.
“Hercule Poirot is very clever. I am helping with his investigation. We get on very well, actually. I think he will solve this murder. And then I think I might have a drink with him …”
An imperious Russian matriarch displaced by the Communist regime.
“I am in exile since the Bolshevik dogs took over. Now I live in Paris. So I am not unused to the killing and the death and the blood.
“I travel a great deal. Yes, sometimes to America. Of course, I am not a suspect. But I would always fight for my life – with a pistol, perhaps, or a knife. Something small that would fit in my bag.
“Poirot is very famous. Out of a sense of duty, I will talk to him. The Yugoslavian police, they are not very good. But I do not like my day being disturbed.”
A Swedish missionary and baby nurse travelling as a companion to Princess Dragomiroff.
“When I was young, Jesus came to my garden and spoke with me. He told me that I have to look after the little babies in Africa, so that is my mission in life.
“I was one of the first to discover the body, in the very same carriage that I am travelling in. I nearly fainted from the horror of it.
“We’d never spoken. He was quite unapproachable, that man. But last night, I think I saw him in the corridor. He looked intent on something, so I stayed right out of his way.
“Hercule Poirot is always looking at us, watching us. I don’t like it. Detectives suspect everyone, but he would be silly to think I could ever murder someone. That would be a mortal sin.”
An English governess having a secret affair with someone on the train.
“I slept right through it, unfortunately. I hear he was some sort of businessman from America. I’ve never been there.
“Perhaps it was a business decision gone wrong. But I cannot speak on rumours. I do not deal in gossip. I would sooner sue a man than murder him.
“Hercule Poirot, the detective on the train, is an odd little man. He has his fancies, but I do like how organised he is.
“I work for a family in Istanbul and am taking a small holiday break before returning to them. I suppose you might say I have an adventure inside me, but I don’t let many people see that. All I will say is there is more to me than meets the eye.”
A brash, gregarious American travelling first-class.
“You know, I think people are quite lucky to meet me, because I’m a friendly person. I’ve been married several times. I take an interest in people and I expect them to be fascinated by me.
“I’m from Minnesota, but from the city – not out in the sticks. All I wanted was a nice vacation.
“Now, for all I know, everyone’s a suspect. But it has nothing to do with me. I would never do anything like that.”
Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express is on at Auckland’s ASB Waterfront Theatre from April 22 to May 10, atc.co.nz
Joanna Wane is an award-winning senior lifestyle writer with a special interest in social issues and the arts.
