By Randi Bjornstad
One of writer Agatha Christie’s most popular murder mysteries undoubtedly is Murder on the Orient Express, which she published as a novel in 1934 and which really never has gone out of style.
Even before that, in 1933, it was published as a six-part series in the Saturday Evening Post, one of the most venerable magazines in the United States, published weekly from 1897 to 1963, then biweekly until 1969. Now there are six issues published per year.
In the book, the Orient Express, a lavishly appointed train that traversed between London and the Middle East, suddenly stops in the middle of the night because of heavy snowstorm, and it’s discovered that an American tycoon on board has been murdered. The dead man is found, stabbed a dozen times, in his compartment which is locked from the inside. Fortunately, another passenger on the train happens to be the dapper Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, who takes on the task of figuring out the “whodunit.”
The script for the play comes from American playwright and theater director Ken Ludwig, who was requested by the Agatha Christie estate to turn the novel into a play. His theatrical credentials are impressive — his plays have been performed in 30 countries, in 20 languages. His more than two dozen plays and musicals include six plays performed by leading actors on Broadway and seven in London’s West End theater district.
Veteran Eugene actor Achilles Massahos becomes Hercule Poirot in VLT’s Murder on the Orient Express.
Maggie Hadley, who directs the Very Little Theatre’s production of Murder on the Orient Express, says Ludwig’s script is “fresh, funny, and carries enough mystery to keep even the best sleuths stumped.
“We have an incredible ensemble cast of both newcomers and veterans of the VLT stage,” Hadley said in introducing the production. “You will be thrilled by the outrageous cast of characters onstage, and even if you think you know how this will end, there is still a surprise or two up our sleeves.”
Veteran actor Achilles Massahos leads the cast in the role of Poirot, joined by Matthew Arscott, Paul Dunckel, Rachelle George, Sarah Glidden, Denise LaCroix, Scott Machado, Vanessa Norman, David Smith, and Zepha Wright.
The play, which opens Oct. 14 and runs through Oct. 30, takes place in the Very Little Theatre’s longtime but newly and extensively renovated building at 2350 Hilyard St.
Murder on the Orient Express at the VLT
When: 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 14-15, 21-22, 27-29 and 2 p.m. on Oct. 16, 23, and 30
Where: 2350 Hilyard St., Eugene
Tickets: $24, except $20 for the single Thursday performance on Oct. 27, available online at thevlt.comm/tickets
Information: 541-344-7751 or TheVLT.com
