Murder on the Orient Express steams into Mayflower Theatre, Southampton
AGATHA Christie’s famous detective Hercule Poirot will take centre stage at Mayflower Theatre in a new production of Murder on the Orient Express.
Based on Ken Ludwig’s adaptation of the classic, Michael Maloney will play the iconic role of the moustachioed Belgian detective.
The full cast also features Bob Barrett as Monsieur Bouc, Mila Carter as Countess Elena Andreyni, Rebecca Charles as Greta Ohlsonn, Debbie Chazen as Princess Dragomiroff, Simon Cotton as Samuel Ratchett, Jean-Baptiste Fillon as Michel, Christine Kavanagh as Helen Hubbard, Paul Keating as Hector MacQueen, Iniki Mariano as Mary Debenham, Rishi Rian as The Colonel and Alex Stedman as head waiter.
The story is set in the winter of 1934 when an avalanche stops the Orient Express dead in its tracks. An American tycoon lies deceased in his compartment, stabbed eight times, his door locked from the inside. Trapped in the snow with a killer still on board, can the world’s most famous detective crack the case before the train reaches its final destination?
Murder on the Orient Express is one of Agatha Christie’s greatest literary achievements, with a final twist that is among her very best. Gripping, tense and masterfully cryptic, this brand-new production is a billed as a thrilling ride and an ingenious murder mystery, guaranteed to keep audiences guessing until the end of the line.
Maloney’s extensive film and television work includes Belfast, Iron Lady, Young Victoria and Notes on a Scandal. Barrett is best known as Sacha Levy in the long-running Holby City, a role he played from 2010 to 2022. Meanwhile Charles appeared in Bridget Jones’s Diary, Shakespeare in Love and Mrs Brown.
Murder on the Orient Express is directed by Lucy Bailey and designed by Mike Britton, with lighting design by Oliver Fenwick.
It is at Mayflower Theatre, Southampton, from Tuesday 18th to Saturday 22nd February. Tickets are from £24.50. For more information and bookings visit www.mayflower.org.uk or phone 023 8071 1811.
