Review: Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express at the Lowry Theatre, Salford

Yes, the Lowry’s Lyric Theatre has this week welcomed the famous old train for the too-long delayed stage adaptation of Agatha Christie’s ‘Murder on the Orient Express’.

If, like me, you are a Christie nut then be sure to book your tickets for this gripping journey of tragedy, revenge and redemption, gloriously brought to the stage by Ken Ludwig.

Television veteran Michael Maloney steps into the big shoes and little moustache of perhaps the world’s most famous private detective, Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot, with aplomb.

It is no easy task playing the dapper detective when following in the footsteps of silver screen and televison greats Albert Finney, Peter Ustinov, David Suchet and Kenneth Branagh, but Maloney manages to crack the little egg-head, and of course, ultimately, the mystery on board.

Indeed, such has been the popularity of Christie’s 1934 novel that subsequent film and televison adaptations have been packed with stellar casts of some of the finest acting talents of their day, and so it was with some trepidation I approached this latest adaptation and whether the new actors would stand up to their illustrious predecessors.

I needn’t have worried. To a man, and woman, each cast member gave terrific performances as the multi-national, multi-cultural and multi-faceted passengers on the famous train.

French, Italian, Hungarian, Swedish, American, and of course Belgian, accents pierced the air with clarity and authenticity as we were transported from Salford Quays to a snow-laden Yugoslavia.

Christine Kavanagh elicits some comic relief as American man-eater Helen Hubbard, who spars delightfully and devilishly with Debbie Chazen who crackles as the elderly Princess Dragomiroff.

The princess is accompanied on the journey by the religious Greta Ohlsson, played sterlingly by Rebecca Charles who does a fine job considering the part landed the legendary Ingrid Bergman a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her 1974 portrayal.

Simon Cotton as the mysterious Ratchett, Mila Carter (Countess Adreyni), Bob Barrett (Bouc), Jean-Baptiste Fillon (Michel), Paul Keating (Macqueen), Iniki Mariano (Mary Debenham) and Rishi Rian (the Colonel) complete a wonderful cast.

Murder on the Orient Express is one of the Queen of Crime’s most famous stories – helped no doubt by the various hit film and television adaptations – meaning most fans will know the plot and characters, and so therefore presenting a conundrum of how to present it again.

Yet director Lucy Bailey gives us a fresh invigorating production, whilst still largely staying true to Christie’s original tale. As with most adaptations, some characters are missing, but the central plot and figures remain entirely faithful.

This is a production for Christie traditionalists and newcomers. It is also truly wonderful to witness it on stage, where the famous train and its luxurious, and in one case deadly, compartments switch elegantly between scenes, as though the famous old train was winding through the Balkans itself.

Sumptuous period costumes, sound and lighting add to the suspense.

Ultimately, Poirot solves the case but is presented with a moral conundrum. You have no such conundrum when considering buying a ticket for this glorious production. Reserve yourself a seat and arrive at the station on time.

Book your journey here https://thelowry.com/whats-on/murder-on-the-orient-express/.